


South Of Nowhere

by raventhewritingdesk



Series: Not All Who Wander  . . . [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 23:08:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18647992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raventhewritingdesk/pseuds/raventhewritingdesk
Summary: Hux, fallen from glory and shamed, decides to hide in California to lick his wounds. Kylo is a artistic surfer who decides to help him out.". . . It's like the ocean, Hux. It Heals."





	1. Week One

    Armitage Hux couldn’t comprehend what was happening to him. Which was saying a lot, because he was supposed to be able to comprehend everything. His IQ was through the roof, he’d graduated top of his class, and yet, here he was staring into wide open ocean without a single clue about what to do next.  
    He couldn’t understand how he could be in such a beautiful place and yet still be filled with such intense negative emotions. The native New Yorker was standing in California sunshine, sunshine doctor approved to cure diseases, and the only thing he could focus on was how far he’d fallen. This was supposed to be the place Hux could relax and unwind, recover from what happened, but the only thing he could focus on was his past. Hux was heavy with memories and baggage from his not so distant past and ever looming future. Or, rather, lack of future.  
    Hux was one week out of a court mandated commitment (read: rehab) and was supposed to be ‘taking it easy’ until he was contacted by his lawyer about future trial dates. After graduating from Columbia University at the top of his class in Finance and Economics, he’d moved directly onto Wall Street. Moving up the ranks quickly with his quick thinking and genius with numbers, plans, and logic, Hux soon earned a top spot at First Order Incorporated.  
    He rode the wave of numbers, cash, cocaine, and whores until he was living in a penthouse surrounded by people he didn’t know getting head on the couch. It was fast money, fast cars, fast highs, and fast falls. One wrong deal and Hux was pulled into illegal dealings with enormous dollar amounts and under the table operations. But he had to see it through. He’d gone too far already and he was anything but a quitter.  
    One NYPD raid and a twenty - four hour stay in holding led to a five day cocaine and alcohol fueled bender that ended in a suicide attempt and a court mandated commitment to a mental institution for rehab. In short, he’d hit the ground quite hard.  
    /“Just sit tight. There’s going to be a hearing soon.”/Was all his lawyer had said to him as she signed him out of rehab with three shirts to his name, frozen accounts, a hundred dollars, and a buss pass.  
    Hux’s entire world had come crashing down in the span of a month and now he was walking along a half empty beach at sunset wondering how in the world he was going to piece it back together. He was living out a motel for sixty bucks a night (that he had to borrow from his lawyer) with no job, no car, and no help. As far as he was concerned, Hux was dead in the water. Dead in the beautiful California water.  
    “Hey! Watch out!”  
    “Move!”  
    “Get out the way, jackass!”  
    There was a sudden flurry of movement, people on rollerblades and skateboards surrounded him and pushed him out the way. Hux was so taken aback all he could do was stand there and try not to get hit.  
    “Holy shit!”  
    Before he knew it, he was being tackled to the ground. The confusing feeling of strong arms wrapping around him, concrete and asphalt scraping against his skin, and jagged rocks kept him from reorienting himself. It seemed that the sky had switched with the ground, and he wasn’t quite sure which way was up anymore. In more ways than one.  
    “Are you okay?” A flesh toned blur crossed his eyes. “Hey, Gingersnap, are you good?”  
    Hux shook his head slowly, his eyes trying to focus but failing. “Uh, yeah, yes. I’m fine.” He blinked several more times. He tried to get up but hissed at the sudden sharp pain in one of his legs. He couldn’t even distinguish which one.  
    “Wait. Wait, hold on.” The flesh toned blur moved a little closer and started to get some defined lines and colors. Large hands came around his hips and under his arms to help steady him and pull him into the air.  
    “Ow, ow.” Hux hissed and grabbed hold of the stranger’s hands tightly on instinct. “I think something’s twisted or broken. It really hurts.” His voice was pinched with the effort to keep the pain hidden.  
    “Uh, okay. We need to sit you down somewhere, come on.” The, rather tall Hux noticed, stranger wrapped one of Hux’s arms around his neck and wrapped his own arm around Hux’s waist. Together, they walked toward the short retaining wall made of large whitewashed bricks. “Come on, sit down. Careful, careful, slowly.” When Hux was fully seated on the wall, his right leg was lifted into the stranger’s lap. “There you go.”  
    “What are you doing?” Hux tried to protest but the large hands that had once supported his body effortlessly were now wrapped around his ankle gently, probing at the swollen flesh but not causing any pain.  
    “I know what I’m doing. Just let me look at it.”  
    “I think it’s a little higher.” Hux told him, and he started to roll up his pant leg.  
    While the Helpful Stranger looked at his leg, Hux looked at his Helpful Stranger. He had long black hair gracing the top of his shoulders which Hux realized were bare and very sculpted. It was obvious this man worked out, and in the sun no less, because he had a classic California tan even though Hux could tell his skin was usually quite pale. His defined chest was sprinkled with freckles and moles in odd places that created an artwork of special marks. Not to mention the actual artwork that littered the man’s chest. Hux was a little too far away, and the stranger was bent over his leg, but the tattoos were large and colorful, of that much Hux was sure.  
    “It doesn’t look broken, but it’s bad enough that you might need an x-ray to be sure. I know a clinic nearby that can take you. They’re known to be pretty quick in the waiting room.” Helpful Stranger rested Hux’s ankle softly on the stone before getting up and getting himself together. He pulled his skateboard up off the ground and attached it to his backpack before slinging it onto his back.  
    “What? I’m not going anywhere with you!” Hux yelled. “I don’t even know your name! I don’t know who you are!”  
    “My name is Ren. Kylo Ren. Now come on.” He held out his hand, “You need to get this looked at and you’ll need help getting there.”  
    “Fine.” Hux grumbled, resigned to his own personal torture. “Fine, you can take me to this so called clinic.” He huffed.  
    Ren smirked and let out a light laugh, “You’re quite the character aren’t you? What’s got your panties in a twist?”  
    “Maybe some idiot just ran over me with his skateboard.” Hux grumbled although he raised his arm when Kylo ducked under it and settled Hux’s body weight onto him. Hux had to admit, Kylo was one solid man and it took all of nothing for him to support Hux’s weight in one arm.  
    He flipped his hair out of his eyes before stepping forward gently, “Alright, I’ll move slowly but if anything hurts, let me know.”  
    “Okay.” Hux braced himself for pain.  
————  
    “How long?” The thin paper rattled underneath him on the bed as Hux sighed and looked down a the horrible cast now adorning his right ankle and foot.  
    “Six to eight weeks, at least.” The doctor wrote something down on his clipboard before pocketing the pen and tucking it under his arms. “Papers, instructions, and prescriptions will be at the front desk. Have a good day.” He left with a dry wave and moved the curtain out of his way on the way out.  
    Kylo moved in instantly and looked at Hux worriedly, “Is everything all right?”  
    “No.” Hux stated. “It’s broken and I have to wear this thing for eight weeks.”  
    “Time will fly by.” Kylo’s voice was naturally low and resonant, it sent shivers down Hux’s spine, but now it was obvious he was lifting it to be more positive. Taking pauses in awkward places and emphasizing random words. “You’ll see. And they’re giving you pain meds too, right?”  
    “Yes. But I don’t even think I can take them.” Hux sighed as the realization dawned on him. “I think they interact with the meds I’m already on.” He didn’t even know why he was talking out loud. There was no way this man actually cared about him. He had just been feeling guilty for running Hux over on the sidewalk.  
    “Oh. Maybe you can stop taking those other things for a few weeks. You should be all right.” Kylo proposed happily like it was an actual choice.  
    “I don’t think it works that way.” Hux just wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to his crappy hotel room and lie in bed and pretend this had never happened. That none of this had ever happened.  
    “I bet you’ll feel better about it once we get you out of this place. Come on.” It seemed Ren was rather fond of directing Hux around and since Hux was, for once, without direction in his life, he really didn’t mind too much.  
    Hux couldn’t help but sigh, even though deep down he appreciated the help this kind man was offering him. “And where are you taking me now?”  
    “We’re going to get you signed out, or discharged, or whatever, and then we’re gonna get you some food.”  
    “Food?” Hux admittedly couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, so food was probably a good idea.  
    “Yeah, I can hear your stomach growling from here, Gingersnap.” Kylo turned and smiled at him warmly. Hux could only blush and look away from him. “It’s the best food in SoCo and I’d bet twenty bucks on it.”  
    “I could use twenty bucks.” Hux answered without thinking, causing Kylo to laugh and turn back to him.  
    “So you /do/ have a sense of humor? Nice.”  Kylo smiled and handed him the crutches he’d grabbed from off the wall. “Have you ever used these before?”  
    “Nope. First time for everything.” Hux settled the crutches under his arm and watched as Kylo braced in front of him, getting ready to catch Hux if he fell. Fortunately, Hux’s balance was still pretty much in tact.  
    Kylo walked with him as they slowly made it to the nurse’s station, then to the front door and the outside world. Kylo waited patiently as Hux stumbled along on the unwieldy plaster boot and crutches to the parking lot. Hux hadn’t actually expected Ren to stay this long, to stay at all, and now that he saw his beat up, aquamarine chevy station wagon in the parking lot with surfboards tied to the roof and windows rolled down, it was dawning on him that he had.  
    “What do you want?” Hux stopped a few steps away from Ren who had already pulled the passenger door open for him.  
    “What?” Ren looked at him in slight confusion, “What are you talking about?”  
    “What do you want from me?” Hux asked again sternly and a little louder. “Nothing in life is free, I know that. You don’t even know my name and you drove me to the hospital. You waited!” Hux was almost angry at him for being so relaxed about the whole thing.  
    “Of course I waited.” Ren scoffed. Not rudely, but as if it was common sense. “Who else was going to wait with you?”  
    Hux was left with a blank expression and no anger left to fight back that comment. Because, he was right. He didn’t have anyone else. His eyes dropped to Ren’s feet and the tires of the car as he fingered the padding on the crutch that was pushing through one of the cracks in the rubber.  
    “Listen, I don’t know where you’re from, it’s clearly not here, but out here we take care of people we accidentally run over. Now, get in the car, so I can feed you.”  
    Hux couldn’t help but give a light scoff, one that turned into an actual laugh. He nodded and gripped the crutches again, journeying the last few steps and leaning onto Ren as he slid into his car.  
    He hadn’t noticed the first time around, mainly because he’d been in too much pain, but Ren’s car was actually pretty beautiful. It was used, well loved, and in good condition. It was even pretty clean on the inside, save the sand on the rubber mats, which Hux thought was pretty impressive. “Hey, this -“ Hux reached out and ran his hand along the leather lining the dashboard. “What is it?” While he could appreciate a well taken care of possession, he wasn’t in the hobby of classic cars.  
    The door slammed shut and Ren pushed the keys into the ignition. “’54 Surf Wagon. I found her in a junkyard and redid everything.” Ren breathed and looked around the car, “I’ve put a lot of work into this car. She’s family.”  
    Hux could understand that. “You did an amazing job. It. - /she/is beautiful.” He didn’t want to disrespect Ren while sitting in a one of a kind car that he’d built himself.  
    “Thank you.” The engine turned over and Ren pulled out of the parking lot slowly, trying not to jostle his passenger. “So what /is/ your name?”  
————  
    “The sun feels really pretty.” The words slipped from Hux’s mouth before he had a chance to stop them. The medication was hitting him hard and making him feel fuzzy, light, and nice, but his foot didn’t hurt which was more important than any of those things. When he was more level - headed, he’d have to thank Kylo for remembering to stop by the drug store.  
    A deep chuckle ran through the car, “I’m sure it does. Wish I was on what you’re on.” Kylo chuckled again, “You up for some food?” Kylo looked over at him but moved his eyes quickly back to the road.  
    Hux’s head flopped to the side but his eyes were clear enough and they found Ren’s with no trouble. “Sure. This the one that’s gonna get me twenty bucks?” He asked lazily.  
    Ren snorted and turned the car onto a side street covered in gravel and sand. “Yeah.” He pulled up alongside a couple of beat up cars, dirty, covered in various bumper stickers and dust drawings in a side lot. “My friend owns this tiny joint with his husband. It’s kind of a local treasure. They do really well.” Ren turned the car off and got out.  
    Hux couldn’t really comment but he was listening and when Ren came around and opened his door, he tried to at least help to get himself out of the car. “No, no, take it easy.” Ren scolded as he watched Hux wince as he tried to pull his leg up. “Let me help.” Ren’s voice was soft, but insistent. “I’ll do all the heavy lifting.” He smirked to try and ease the tension.  
    Upright and on crutches, Hux reviewed the scene before him. The restaurant across the street wasn’t big. Two trailers, a storage container, and an up - cycled train car were pushed together to form a makeshift kitchen, bar, and sitting area complete with wide windows and a pleasant outdoor area covered by a faded orange and white awning. There was smoke coming from a barbecue in the back, and the smells drifting from the open windows were absolutely divine. It looked like a piece of crap, but from the queue of people waiting outside, and the smells, Hux wasn’t too afraid to try it. But that was probably the opioids talking.  
    “Watch your step, Gingersnap.” Ren curled a large hand around Hux’s ribcage under his left arm and Hux breathed in sharply at the contact. Ren, assuming the inhale was from the pain and not a strong surge of pleasure, shushed him. “I got you. We’re almost inside.”  
    Hux would have gone anywhere with him as long as he continued to rub his thumb along his ribcage like that. “I can make it. It’s not that bad.” Hux explained to distract himself.  
    “You don’t have to try. I got you.” Ren responded quietly as he held the screen door open with one hand and supported Hux with the other.  
    As soon as the inner door opened, the small entryway was bombarded with noise from the diner. Polite requests, cutlery scraping against plates, laughter, and a warm atmosphere at every turn. The diner was clearly a place full of love and kinship and Hux felt like he’d never belonged anywhere less.  
    “We can get a table in the back and prop your foot up.” Ren tried to clear a path for him as they traveled across the worn tile floor.  
    “Are you sure that’s ok? I don’t want to make a -“  
    “It’s fine.” Ren cut him off, “This is like my second home. Promise.” He continued to lead him to the back. While you could clearly see where the three buildings had been stitched together from the outside, inside was much more seamless. One room flowing into the next without a break, and decorated with it’s customers in mind. Surfboards and pooka shells lined the walls along with an impressive shark’s head that Hux supposed was fake, and a large chandelier made entirely out of wine bottles.  
    There were framed photos of groups of people laughing and standing around campfires on the walls. There was even an entire section dedicated to the step by step process of building the place. Apparently they’d built it by hand. The last photo was the largest and looked like the two owners standing in front of the finished product. Hux raised his eyes from the picture to see the real thing in front of him.  
    The owners seemed to like to be apart of the business, not just mangers from afar. Both of them were tall, one black and one hispanic, and both were wearing aprons, shorts, and shirts with the diner’s logo on them. One was leaning over a table of six, setting down large dinner plates full of food and chattering away happily to the family. The other was serving drinks from behind the bar, smiling happily and slinging a white towel over his shoulder.  
    “Poe! Finn! Clear a table in the back for me.” Kylo yelled to them without looking up.  
    “Whoah, whoah, what happened?” Finn set down the last plate and dodged a child running in front of him as he turned to face them. “Are you alright?”  
    “Yeah, everything is fine, Finn.” Ren assured him before gesturing to Hux’s leg. “I just have a friend here that got into a little accident. So we need to prop his leg up.”  
    “Oh, yeah, of course. Give me five.” The man named Finn moved towards the back and cleared two small tables near each other.  
    “Hey man, everything good?” They passed the other man behind the bar as they made their way to the back. Hux hobbled around tables and chairs wile Ren made sure his path was clear of bigger items.  
    “Yeah, Poe, we’re good. I’ll get back to you in a minute.” Ren didn’t have eyes for anyone else as Hux tried to maneuver through the tight space.  
    “It’s fine, I can make it.” Hux complained as he saw all of the attention he was getting.   
    “Just ignore them. You’re all right.” Ren whispered under his breath close to Hux’s ear.  
    When they made it to the table, Hux sat down in a huff and Ren worked to move the chair so that Hux could reach it comfortably. “Let me go find something for a cushion.”  
    “Ren!” Hux tried to stop him, but he was off, passing through doors and disappearing. He waited for him silently until one of the owners, the one he hadn’t talk to, came to see him.  
    “Hey, can I get you anything?”  
    “Uhm - I - ,” Hux stuttered as he looked up at him until Ren came back with a rolled up blanket.  
    “Poe, can we get a couple of waters and some coke.” Ren lifted Hux’s foot gently and set the blanket underneath it.  
    “No problem.” Poe walked away again.  
    “Sorry, I couldn’t find anything else.” Ren sat down across from him. “Feeling a little better?”  
    Hux sighed, “Yes. It feels better to be off my foot.”  
    “Yeah, I’m sure.” Ren handed him a menu. “Pretty much everything is good, if you’re not allergic to anything. Everything is from scratch and they’re all Poe and Finn’s recipes. Also, it’s on me.”  
    “Uh, please, I can’t accept -“ Hux stuttered again. He had never stuttered this much in his life.  
    “No, no, I’m the one that ran you over. I’m the reason you’re going to be wearing a cast for eight weeks. Let me buy you some food.”  
    “That is true.” Hux decided to let it go. He didn’t have any money anyway. “Alright, then.”  
    Ren smiled, “Have I apologized yet?”  
    Hux laughed, his eyes closing slightly, “Yeah, several times.” Hux opened them to see Ren tossing his hair back, the sun shining in his face, squinting his eyes from the glare. Besides being literally illuminated, the sun was accentuating his laugh lines and made him look a little younger. It suited him, Hux decided.  
    “Ok, then. I just want to make sure. I feel awful about this. I’ve never done this to anyone before.” Ren did look genuinely apologetic.  
    “It’s ok. You drove me to the clinic, waited, bought me dinner. I don’t know what else you could do. Consider yourself forgiven.”  
    Ren stared at him, his head sliding into a tentative tilt, “I feel like you need something, but I’m not sure what it is.” Hux was about to shake his head when Ren stopped him. “So, I’m going to stick around until I figure out what it is.”  
    “Ren, what are you talking about?” Hux questioned him.  
    “So, figured out what you want, yet?” Poe was suddenly in front of them again with a small notepad and a pen.  
    “Yeah, get me the regular.” Ren looked up at him, “And some Hot Chocolate.”  
    “Ren, it’s eighty degrees outside and not a cloud in the sky.” Poe retorted.  
    “And?” Ren offered him a goofy smile and then turned to Hux, “Do you know what you want, Gingersnap?”  
    “For you to call me by my name?” Hux looked up at him a neutral face before lowering the menu, “Um, get me what he got, without the Hot Chocolate. That’s disgusting.” He heard Ren laugh at him.  
    “Got it.” Poe smiled and walked away.  
    “Ren, I don’t know what you mean by ‘stick around’ but I don’t need your help.” Hux protested.  
    “You know you keep saying things like that but all I see is someone who could use a hand.” Ren smiled as he held up one of his own, “I’ve got pretty big ones and I can help you. i’ve got nothing else to do right now.”  
    “Ren,” Hux sighed, “I’m not some . . . /charity case/ that you need to work on.” He spat the word out harshly. “I’m not anyone’s charity case.”  
    “And I never said you were.” Ren answered, “So let’s get this straight.” Ren sat up a little straighter and leaned forward onto the table. He pointed to Hux’s cast, “You’re gonna have that thing for eight weeks. As far as I’m concerned, I’m here for as long as that thing is.” He resettled his arms across his chest and smiled warmly at Hux.  
    Hux didn’t know what to say. So he didn’t say anything, just sat back in his chair and waited for his food to come out. When it did, he got to work eating quietly.  
    “Hey, be careful. I don’t know how great food is going to sit with your meds.”  
    “I’ll watch it.” Hux responded. He knew Kylo wouldn’t have dropped it if he’d said anything else. After a couple of bites in, he realized that the food did live up to Ren’s boasting. “This is good, Ren. Thank you for bringing me.” He was in a phenomenally bad mood, but he could at least thank him for everything he’d done so far.  
    “Anytime.” Ren looked up at him briefly before getting back to his own food.  
————  
    “So, where do you live?”  
    Suddenly Hux was feeling very tight chested. “Why?”  
    “So that I can take you home?” Ren turned around to stare at him. “Hux, get out of the street please.”  
    Hux’s crutches were the only thing holding him up, he was sure. “Just, can you take me back to where you ran me over? I don’t - “  
    “Yeah, sure, just get out of the street.” Ren called to him suddenly. Hux turned his head and realized that several miles down the strip there was indeed a car on its way. Hux sighed and started limping forward.  
    “Sorry.” Hux made it towards him, “Can you just take me back to Hollywood Beach. Please?” There was a slightly panicked edge to his voice.  
    Ren sighed, and it was clear that he wasn’t happy about it, but he nodded. His keys were jingling in his hand as he turned and headed back to the parking lot. “Yeah, yeah, get in.” He didn’t open the door this time.  
————  
    It took Hux a very long time to get to sleep. He wasn’t sure if it was the crappy motel bed, the pain, the pain pills not working, or the sirens outside that wouldn’t shut up. Regardless, he was too full of thoughts to even begin to slow down anyway.  
    He woke up in pain and struggled to hobble to the toilet quick enough. He tossed the contents of his stomach in about a minute, settling his head on the toilet when he was finished. His head was pounding, his foot ached, and he could barely remember where he was let alone figure out a way to stop the pain.  
    /“Fuck!”/  
————  
    For once, the buss pass that his lawyer had given him a week ago had come in handy. With a good memory, Hux somehow made his way back to Poe and Finn’s diner, hoping that maybe he’d find Kylo there. He thought about the beach but figured it was too big for an injured man to search.  
    When he pushed his way through the entrance, it seemed Finn was happy to see him again. In fact, he greeted him at the doorway. “Um, hey, hi, didn’t expect to see you again. Hux, right?”  
    “Yeah, Hux. Uh, have you or your husband seen Kylo?” Hux couldn’t help but feel award about it. “I . . kind of need to talk to him.”  
    “Oh!” Finn seemed surprised that he’d even asked, “I actually haven’t seen him in today.” He looked down at his watch, “But it’s a little early for him. He’s probably still surfing this early.” Hux’s face fell and he nodded and started to back up. “Oh, no, hey, why don’t you grab a table and I’ll get you some coffee. On the house.” Finn smiled.  
    Hux looked back at him and nodded, “Sure. Why not? I do love coffee.”  
    “Awesome. Take a seat.” Hux sat down in the offered chair. “I’ll get you a mug in a second.”  
    Hux propped his foot up on the empty chair and stared out at what little of the beach he could see through the back window. When Finn brought his coffee, he added a little sugar and waited.  
————  
    Ren tucked his surfboard under his arm as he jogged towards the beach. The sand was coarse against his feet but he managed to make his way to his car parked in the tiny parking lot across the street. He grabbed his towel from the open back seat window and hung it over the open car door as he unzipped his wet suit and started to dry off.  
    After a morning of surfing with his friends, Ren was ready for a huge lunch at his favorite place and maybe an afternoon involving painting of some kind. Maybe clay, he wasn’t quite sure yet. When he was fully dry and in some warmer clothes, he strapped his board to the top of his car to dry, and hopped in. It was almost second nature for Ren to drive to the Stardust Diner and he parked in the first free spot he found and raced inside.  
    “Boys.” Ren nodded at Finn who was behind the hostess stand and Poe who was walking through with a bucket full of dirty dishes.  
    “Hey, Kylo, finally.” Finn sighed and grabbed his hand. He pulled him back towards the center car and pointed towards the back of it to a patron sitting at a table drinking his eighth cup of coffee. “He’s been here since eight am.”  
    Kylo followed his finger to see the redhead sitting with his leg propped up on a chair and holding a mug of coffee. Kylo smiled, pulled his shirt a little straighter, and ran his hand through his hair a little. He smelled his breath, and rubbed his teeth, just in case, and stepped out from behind Finn with a well meaning clap to the shoulder. He took a couple of easy steps forward before standing in front of Hux’s table. “Hey.”  
————  
    Hux jumped slightly and turned to see Kylo standing in front of his table. He set his coffee down, sloshing a little onto the table, and sat up straighter. “Oh, hey, Kylo. I’m glad that you’re here.”  
    “Yeah.” Kylo cocked his head and put his hand down on the edge of a chair for support. “Finn said you’ve been here for a while.”  
    “Um,” Hux looked down into his coffee, “Well I didn’t have your number and you said you come here a lot.”  
    “Why’d you need to find me anyway?”  
    Hux fingered his dusty green mug. It was chipped at the edge and Hux rubbed his finger over the rough porcelain. “I just wanted to thank you for yesterday.” He took a deep breath, “And apologize for how I acted at the end of it. I was rude and it wasn’t fair.”  
    Kylo nodded slowly and looked away from him, “Thank you for saying that.” He waited a beat before lifting his head and Hux could see a small smile grow on his face. “You know I would have found you somehow.”  
    Hux finally looked up at him, “Is that so?”  
    “Yeah. I told you, you’re not getting rid of me until you get rid of that thing.” Kylo pulled a chair from the next table and turned it around. He threw one large leg over it and sat down to lean his arms across the back. “So. How are you today?”  
    Hux gave a small laugh, “I’m ok. In pain.” He admitted, “But nothing pills won’t /not/ fix.”  
    “It sounds rough.” Kylo winced, “Can I help with anything?”  
    Hux was about to shake his head when it occurred to him that he needed to get his life together and Kylo was an opportunity. Maybe not the one he wanted, but a good one nonetheless. He nodded, “Actually, I think you can help me with something.” His throat had suddenly gone dry and Hux was finding it difficult to actually say what he wanted.  
    “Sure.” Kylo waited patiently.  
    “Could you help me find a job?” Hux asked.  
    “A job?” Kylo tilted his head, something Hux was realizing he did a lot. “Why do you need a job? Hux you just got injured.”  
    Hux sighed, unwilling to talk about himself, but he knew he was going to have to let a little information out to get some help. “I just got out of a weird situation.” He explained. “I’m new to the area,” /To the state really/, Hux thought. “And I need a job until I can straighten everything out.” When Ren looked like he was hesitating, he continued, “I can’t keep relying on your kindness now, can I?”  
    Kylo nodded slowly, “Yeah, alright, but I don’t know about anything fancy. What kind of skills do you have?”  
    Hux waved his hands, “No, no, nothing like that. Just something little. Obviously, “ he pointed to his foot, “Something I can sit down and do or at least not stand the whole time.”  
    Kylo hummed and looked around for a couple of seconds before he sat up, and snapped, “Wait, I have the perfect idea. Hux, you could work here.”  
    “At your friends’ diner?” Hux looked skeptical. “I don’t think - “  
    “No, come on. It’s fun here. They’re a family. Good people as well.”  
    Hux sighed and wondered if he could actually work here with his situation. But then again, he needed the money. It wasn’t looking like this trial was going to happen any time soon and he needed the trial to get his accounts unfrozen. He really didn’t have any room to be passing up on job opportunities. “You know what, sure.” He finally nodded, “I’ll take it.”  
    Kylo’s face brightened, “Awesome. Just stay here, I’ll go talk to them.” Ren rose from his seat quickly and walked back up to the front.  
    Hux smiled to himself slightly as he watched Ren make it to the front in a few long strides of his incredibly long legs. Hux noticed that along with tilting his head while he was confused, he also talked with his hands when he was excited. He was either barefoot or had flip - flops on and even then, those were falling apart from overuse. Hux had known him for less than forty - eight hours and he was already picking up on small details. Maybe getting closer to Ren wasn’t such a good thing.  
    He pushed the thought away as Ren came back with a wide smile. “So, good news.” Hux looked up and tried to put on a smile of his own.  
    “What’s up?”  
    “Finn says that they can get you a stool and stick you on the hostess stand.” Ren smiled. “They’ll give you another stool for your foot for the week or so, to keep the stress off, and then after that you should be ok.”  
    Hux didn’t know what to say, “Wow, Kylo. Thank you. Seriously, I couldn’t have asked for a better -“ Hux paused. He didn’t even know what to call him  
    “Friend.” Kylo nodded with confidence. “I’m your friend.” Hux smiled down at his now cold coffee. “So buck up, buttercup. I’ve got a lot to teach you.”


	2. Week Two

    “Hux, you know you can sit down and do that right?” Poe came up behind him as he stood at the sink in the tiny kitchen add - on attached to the Diner.  
    Hux looked back at him, arms covered in yellow rubber gloves and soap, “Yeah, I’ve just been sitting practically all day.” He sighed, “I needed a change in scenery.”  
    “Don’t tax yourself. I’d rather you feel healthy then get the dishes done.”  
    Hux gave a light laugh. He wasn’t used to people caring about him. “It’s fine. I’ve got it covered.” He gave him a smile. For the past week and a half, Hux had been working side by side with both of the owners and couple of other part time employees. While at first it had been awkward, Hux soon learned how to deal with the easygoing natives and learned to fit in quickly.  
    “It’s been nice to have you here, ya know.” Poe stated as he started putting the dishes away in the various containers they had.  
    “Oh, yeah?” Hux set another dish on the drying rack and started to wash another. The dishwashers were old and well loved, which meant at least one broke down every week and they had to wash half the dishes and cooking supplies by hand. Hux didn’t mind. It set his mind at ease but kept his hands busy.  
    “Yeah, it’s been me and Finn for a while now, and it’s nice to have a helping hand.”  
    “I thought you had some teenagers every now and then?” Hux asked. Right now, Hux was the only other full time employee, but he’d heard stories of some past members and pranks that had been played on them. After that particular conversation however, Hux was sure to keep a look out for pranks.  
    “Occasionally. But it’s nothing like consistent help. Plus, you’re good. You’re smart. I’m pretty sure you’re cookin’ the books,” Hux laughed at him, “But it’s all right.”  
    “Thanks, man.” Hux turned the water off and pulled the gloves off as well. “It’s -it’s nice being here too.” It hadn’t been long, but he found that he was starting to get comfortable. Not only at the diner, but the state itself. He was also making a decent living for someone who had no bills to pay and no one to support but himself. It ruined out the job had been the best thing to happen to him since leaving rehab. He was finally feeling a little bit less lonely. And Kylo Ren was a big part of that.  
    The knocks came quickly and by surprise, but were followed by a friendly voice, “Hello, hello. What’s going on in here?” Ren stuck his head around the corner and leaned against the kitchen’s back door.  
    Hux rested his hands on the sink as he turned and faced the door. “Hey, Ren.”  
    “Buddy! What’s going on tonight?” Poe placed another dish on top of a large stack and closed the top of the storage container. “I hear you’ve got some big plans.”  
    That pricked Hux’s chest a little as he looked between them. Hux had been spending a few hours with Ren every day since he’d helped him get the job. He’d taught him how to do the normal hostess stuff, the dishwashing, and the customer service. Ren had taught him how to be a /human/ again. He hadn’t found a proper way to thank him just yet, but he’d said they were friends last week and Hux had believed him. But if he didn’t share news with him, like he shared with Poe or Finn, were they really friends?  
    Hux watched Ren’s eyes flit from Poe’s to his, and back again. “Yeah, I do, actually. It’s why I came back through.” He gestured towards Hux with his chin, “Hux, can I talk to you for a minute?”  
    “Uh -“ Hux looked towards Poe first who nodded.  
    “Yeah, we’re all done here. You can head out for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Poe gave Hux a wave, as well as a knowing smile to Ren who only laughed once Hux had turned away.  
    “See you.” Hux nodded to him and then followed Ren towards the main diner car. “So, what’s up? I don’t want to hold you up from your plans.” Hux cleared his throat and leaned heavily on his crutches.  
    Ren gave a little laugh. “Actually I was hoping that ‘my plans’ could include you.” Hux looked up at him suddenly. “Me and a bunch of friends are getting together down on the beach and I wanted you to come. I know that you seem to be dealing with a lot, and you’re still a little wobbly,” He gestured to the crutches leaning against the doorway, “But I think it would be fun and I think you need to get out.”  
    “I need to get out?” Hux questioned. Honestly it was the only thing he could think to say. He didn’t think Ren would tell him about it, let alone invite him.  
    “Yes.” He laughed, “You’ve been working, which is great. But from what little you’ve told me, and let me emphasize little,” Ren scoffed, “You need to learn how to relax and get away for a while. I can help with that.”  
    “Ren, I don’t think so.” Hux hesitated.  
    “Well I know so. So.” Ren shrugged, “Either walk out of here as an accomplice or be carried out as a kidnap victim.” Ren smiled a very charming smile. “You’re choice.” Hux fidgeted, looking down at his fingers, until other, larger fingers covered his and pulled them away. “Hux, stop thinking about it and just come with me.” Hux looked up at him. “It’s going to be fun. I promise.”  
    Hux sighed, “Ok, ok.” He smiled despite himself. “I’ll go with you.”  
    “Good.” Ren stepped forward. “It’s time to get some sand in that hair.” Hux laughed and rolled his eyes but he realized Ren was still holding his hand and he didn’t want him to drop it. “Well, all right, let’s get moving.” Ren smiled and, to Hux’s disappointment, dropped his hand. Instead, Ren slid his hand around Hux’s waist and squeezed it lightly.  
————  
    “Hey! Toss it!”  
    The beach wasn’t what Hux was used to. There were a lot less people than he expected, and it was darker than he imagined, but it was . . . nice. At first, it was difficult. When the pavement ended, the sand was hot against his feet, and irritated the toes of the one in his cast, and his crutches didn’t exactly work too well either.  
    But Ren was nice. He wrapped a strong arm around his waist and let him hobble his way to the large circles of rocks that surrounded the fire. There were people tossing a football around, roasting marshmallows, and even someone playing the guitar. This was exactly how Hux had pictured it, except this time he wasn’t just watching from the outside.  
    “Guys,” Ren steadied him for a moment before releasing his waist, which Hux realized was so he could talk with his hands. “This is my friend Hux. He - “  
    “Isn’t that the bloke you ran over?” Hux wasn’t sure who had shouted the question but everyone laughed.  
    “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Anyway, he’s got this cast and it happened like a week ago, so, just be gentle.”  
    “Ren.” Hux whispered at him in protest.  
    “I’ll kick all of your asses if he gets hurt again, got it?” There were chorus’ of understanding and a few yells of excitement.  
    “Come on, he’ll be fine.” A person was standing on the other side of the large bonfire with a cup of something strong making that person’s British accent just a little too strong for Hux to understand. As the wind blew the flames, it was hard to see the face of the speaker.  
    “You say that, but you’re only on your third drink, Phas.” Ren laughed back at the person. “Listen, just don’t be dicks.” After he was done, he wrapped his arm back around Hux’s waist and helped him towards one of the open beach chairs.  
    “Ren.” Hux sighed as Ren lowered him to the chair. “You didn’t have to do all of that. Or say it.” Hux could feel a flush on his skin and he could only hope it wasn’t too visible in the late afternoon sun.  
    Ren grabbed another chair and dragged it towards him. “Yeah I did. You don’t know these guys. They will literally tackle you to the ground if you’re not careful.” He smiled over at him.  
    “I don’t want that.” Hux tried to ease up.  
    “Let me go get us some drinks.” He leaned over and tapped on Hux’s arm. “I’ll be right back.”  
    As soon as Ren got up, someone else took his spot. “So who are you, then?”  
    “Excuse me?” Hux looked up at the newcomer. “Uhm, I -“  
    “Don’t worry. Kylo’s my best mate. So who are you?”  
    “Haven’t you heard?” Hux looked down at his fingers. “I’m the man Kylo ran over.”  
    “Oh sure, but he runs over lots of blokes. What makes you so special?” The woman who had taken Ren’s spot was clearly the same one who’d yelled before, and now that Hux could see her, he was quite intimidated.  
    She was tall, even sitting down, and had long blonde hair that was fading in and out. No, not literally fading, and yet still fading. Her hair was at least three different colors, blonde being the main one but also including orange, pink, and hints of green if the firelight wasn’t playing tricks on Hux’s eyes. She wore a halter tank top that showed off an impressive set of abs, and the muscles on her arms were quite defined as well. To top it all off, the rich red lipstick and round sunglasses gave her an air of confidence and intimidation that Hux wouldn’t be able to reach on his best day.  
    “I . . .” Hux looked over to see Ren laugh as he grabbed two beers from a cooler dug into the sand and turned around to head back. “I don’t know.”  
    “Don’t scare him, Phasma.” Ren scolded when he made it to them. “He’s not used to Viking Warriors.” Ren smirked as he sat down in the sand in front of Hux’s chair and lifted the beer to his fingers.  
    “I’m not scaring. I barely asked a question!” She protested, averting her eyes as she took a sip of her own drink.  
    Hux popped the cap on his beer and took a long sip. “A few questions, huh?” Kylo looked from ‘Phasma’ to Hux. “Gingersnap, don’t let her get you down. No matter what she said to you.”  
    “She didn’t say anything.” Hux reassured him, although he wasn’t quite sure why he felt the need to.  
    “Good. She’s got a great talent of running people off.” He nudged her ankle and she sipped her drink with a smirk on her face.  
    “Only the bad ones.” Phasma’s smile grew predatory and Hux felt a shiver travel down his spine having nothing to do with the breeze coming off of the ocean.  
    “Phasma tends to take making that decision into her own hands.” Kylo took a sip of his beer and the only thing Hux could do was watch his large fingers wrap around the neck of the bottle. He couldn’t take his eyes off the opening as Ren’s plush lips wrapped around it. A shiver slipped down his spine again, but for a completely different reason.  
    “Well, sometimes i’m the better decision maker. Like July, ’02.” She grinned.  
    “Hey!” Kylo pointed to her with his beer. “We’re not bringing that up. We said we wouldn’t bring that up!”  
    “I would like to know about the summer of ’02.” Hux murmured softly, raising his beer into the air.  
    “See? He wants to know.” Phasma smiled. “So July, hot as hell, Kylo has been in his warehouse for -“  
    “Stop! Stop!” Kylo waved his hands frantically and shoved at her legs until she dissolved into a fit of laughter. He shook his head and rolled his eyes up at Hux, who could only smile. Kylo winked at him suddenly before putting his beer down and rushed forward, pushing at Phasma’s chair and throwing her over into the sand.  
    Phasma’s scream was loud and instant. “Kylo! What the fuck? Open drink, dude!”  
    “That’s what you get!” Kylo sat back down with a wide grin on his face as Phasma went to clean herself off. When he settled back in, he nudged Hux with his toe. “Enjoying it so far?”  
    Hux took a sip, “Surprisingly so.”  
    Kylo smiled, “The night’s not over yet.”  
————  
    “Just grab a metal poker thingy.”  
    “I’m sure they have names, Kylo.” Hux shuffled a little awkwardly as he slid his cast through the sand.  
    “Yes, metal poker thingy.”  
    Hux laughed and bent over to pick up the ‘metal poker thingy’. Ren’s hand shifted a little higher on his ribs and Hux’s breath hitched. His shirt slid up slightly and Ren’s pinky finger brushed at the skin beneath Hux’s jeans and his shirt. Hux hadn’t felt human contact like that in a very long time. Which is probably why the feeling of one finger caused him to stumble slightly.  
    “Whoah there, Gingersnap. Keep yourself together.” Kylo smiled down at him as he readjusted his grip.  
    A laugh bubbled in Hux’s throat, “Why do you keep calling me that?”  
    “Do you really not know?” He scoffed.  
    “Why not just use my name, /Kylo/?” Hux asked with a pointed look.  
    “Because,” Kylo looked down at him. “You’re unique and I want your name to be also.”  
    Trying to ignore the flutter in his stomach caused by Ren’s words, Hux immediately asked another question. “Is ‘Armitage’ not unique enough for you?” He chuckled as Ren made the universal gesture for ‘stay here’ and bent down to grab some more supplies for them.  
    “‘Armitage’ is not quite as odd as you believe it is.” While Ren talked, Hux watched his muscles flex beneath his shirt.  
    “And I don’t believe that.” Hux answered absently.  
    “The only thing you have to believe . . “ Ren stood up holding food in his hands, “Is everything I tell you. Do you know how to make S’mores?” Ren asked the question openly and Hux, for once, knew that he wouldn’t be ridiculed for his answer.  
    “No.” He shook his head.  
    “Okay, listen closely, because it can get a little tricky.”  
    Hux looked at Ren, the firelight reflecting on his face, and couldn’t help but smile a little. Ren was explaining the correct way to roast a marshmallow so that it didn’t ooze all over the place, and Hux couldn’t help but watch the way his lips moved to form the words. He nodded when Ren looked at him for confirmation.  
    “Did you get everything?”  
    “Yeah.” Hux nodded again, “But just in case I didn’t catch it, why don’t  . . “ Hux reached out and grabbed the metal poker thingy from Ren’s hand, “I take this one and you can show me all over again.”  
    Ren laughed, “Well, at least let me show you how to put the rest together.” Ren stood up and took a step closer to hover slightly over Hux’s hands. “One on the bottom, then the chocolate,” Ren placed the slab of chocolate down on the graham cracker and then raised his thumb and forefinger to his mouth to swipe his tongue over them. Hux almost went weak in the knees. “Then, and this part’s important, you have to lay the marshmallow on top of the chocolate and then put the other piece of cracker on top.”  
    “Wait, what about the - “  
    “I know, I know. Just watch.” Kylo smiled over at him and suddenly the S’mores was sealed and Kylo was holding the metal poker thingy with his other hand. He slid the metal from the S’more and handed it over him. “Voila.”  
    Hux laughed, “I don’t think that’s how you say it.”  
    “Oh yeah?” Ren asked, looking down at the makings of a new S’more. “So how do you say it?”  
    Hux took a deep breath and closed one eye as he thought about it, “Je pense que peut-être vous pourriez dire il comme ceci: Voíla.” He smiled and blushed slightly as Ren stared at him in shock.  
    “What the hell, Gingersnap? You speak French?”  
    Hux shoulders shook a little with contained laughter, “I supposed I do.”  
    “Learn new things about you everyday.” Ren smiled as he pressed together a S’more for himself.  
    “Brand new day tomorrow.” Hux stated quietly, looking away as he took a bite of his ‘whatever it was’. “Oh, holy shit, this is good.” He looked down at the dessert in a new light. “What is this?”  
    “Don’t worry about what it’s called. Just eat it.” Ren raised his own half eaten S’more and tapped Hux’s dessert toast. A few minutes of silence and munching, excited yells from Ren’s friends and other beach goers, and Hux was sitting quietly in the sand as Ren finished off two more.  
    Eventually, as the bright blue sky started to gain the faintest hints of pink and orange, Ren sighed and leaned back into the sand on his elbows. His black hair fell back onto his shoulders, flowing slightly in the breeze, and Hux was weak in the knees with how picturesque he was looking. “So, first beach experience.” He turned to look at Hux with a lazy smile. “SoCal. California Sun. How was it?”  
    Just like his laughs and smiles when he was around Ren, his surprise bubbled up from deep within his chest, “Actually, it was really good.” Hux nodded, trying to hide his smile by looking away, “I enjoyed myself, Ren. Even if I couldn’t get in the water.”  
    “Yeah,” Ren sighed, “Next time, next time.” He chuckled. “I’ll figure out a way to cover that cast and get you out on a board.”  
    “Ohhh, no way.” He laughed, “I have no idea how to surf. I’ll just stick to watching, if that’s alright with you.”  
    “Nope.” Ren shook his head, “You should know by now, I don’t take no for an answer. At least not when it concerns you having fun.”  
    Hux continued to say no, “Ren, i’ve never been in open water before. I’ve lived on the east coast my entire life until a month ago. The only time I get in water is when I shower.” He chuckled and pointed to his leg, “And I can’t even take those anymore.”  
    “Hey, Hux, today’s a new day!” Ren yelled excitedly. His friends were scattered on the beach and playing in the water as the sun continued to make it’s way across the sky. “You tried S’mores today, and tomorrow you surf.” Ren pushed himself from the sand and crawled a little further towards Hux. “There’s a great balance within you, I can feel it.” He smiled.  
    “Oh yeah? And who told you that?”  
    “The Force.” Ren laughed before sitting up, “Oh, hey, hold on. You’ve still got some chocolate on your face.” Ren leaned forward with his thumb outstretched, “Let me get that for you.” Hux was powerless to move away under his gaze and, without really letting him but not moving away either, Ren’s thumb reached out to wipe the chocolate smudge from beneath his lip. After a moment’s hesitation, Ren’s eyes flicked down and then up again, before he said, “Here.” And pressed it to his lips.  
    Hux took a sharp breath through his nose as Ren pushed his thumb into his mouth. It tasted of chocolate and salt water and was, awkwardly, pleasant. Hux looked up from Ren’s wrist, the spot that his eyes had latched onto in surprise, and found Ren’s eyes. He couldn’t look away from Ren’s deep brown eyes as he slid his tongue over his thumb to lick the chocolate off. It took a second before Hux even realized there was no chocolate left on Ren’s thumb. It felt as if the world had frozen and Hux and Ren were the only two left on the beach.  
    A few seconds longer, and Ren pulled his thumb free slowly, sliding it between Hux’s lips as if he didn’t want to pull it away. Ren’s eyes never left his as he lowered his arm and resettled on the sand beside Hux. He cleared his throat, “Like I was saying,” And just like that the pull was broken and suddenly Hux and Ren were dropped their eyes. “We need to get you on the water.”  
    Hux tried to focus on the sand between his toes. “Right, water.”  
    “You aren’t scared or anything, right? You know how to swim?”  
    The redhead took a deep, silent, breath before turning back to face him, “Yes. I can swim. I learned when I was younger, but I’m sure it’s like riding a bike.”  
    “Uh,” Ren chuckled, “A little bit. We’ll take it one step at a time.” He promised him, “Just like everything else.” When Hux met Ren’s eyes, it was clear that he was talking about more than just the swimming or the surfing. He was talking about something entirely different.  
————  
    “Okay!” Hux yelled in slight frustration, “This is nice, but I’m going crazy.” He bent at the waist and tried to reach his toes. Sand had been falling in and out of his cast for almost two hours now. “I can’t handle this anymore.”  
    Ren crawled over to him, “Hold on.” He laughed. “Hold on.” In one easy motion, his right hand reached over his back and pulled the dark gray shirt he’d been wearing off his body.  
    “Wait, Ren, I can’t - “  
    “Shush.” Ren’s eyes flashed up at him briefly before going back to his task. Hux watched him wrap the t - shirt in some configuration that managed to cover his toes and then wrap around his cast. He tied the sleeves in a knot that didn’t look like it was going anywhere for awhile. He patted Hux’s foot gently when he was done and looked up at him with a smile. “There. This means we can take a walk now.”  
    “What?” Hux’s eyes went wide. At every turn, Kylo Ren was surprising him. Whether it was the way he talked, the way he moved, or the random things he found important. This entire way of life, the job, California, was a new entity to Hux and he wasn’t entirely sure he knew how to navigate through it. Especially without Ren.  
    Ren stood up and brushed the sand off his body before reaching down and offering the older man his hand. “Come on.”  
    “Nope.” Hux shook his head and slid away from him.  
    “Hux.” Ren gave him that look. That ‘do it or i’ll do it for you, and you won’t like it’ look. It was amazing that Hux had only known him for two weeks and he already knew Ren’s looks.  
    Hux sighed and raised both of his hands to allow Ren to pull him up, which Ren did with a satisfied smirk. “You’re just going to have to drag me across the beach, Ren.”  
    “Yeah,” Ren smiled that gorgeous lazy smile of his, “But it’s sunset.”  
    “It is.” Hux settled himself while Ren tried to get some of the sand off of his cast. “Which means, you’ll sweat more carrying me around instead of just leaving me on the beach.” Hux grumbled.  
    “No,” Ren insisted, “I’m not leaving you behind, Gingersnap. You are stuck with me. Get that through your head.” He wrapped a strong arm around Hux’s waist and made sure he was secure before they started moving.  
    They made their way down the beach a couple of yards until Ren slowed to a stop. “Ok, you’re right. I”m sweating.” He laughed.  
    Hux pulled away from him with a bit of a whine, “Kylo, I told you.’  
    “Hey, hey, no sweat - “  
    “No, literally, tons of sweat.” Hux interrupted, wiping his hands off on his shorts.  
    Kylo laughed again, “I’ve got a better idea anyway.” He steadied Hux with a hand before stepping away and turning around to offer his back.  
    “Kylo, what’s up?”  
    “Come on, hop on.”  
    “Ohh, no way in hell are you giving me a piggyback ride, Kylo. No way in hell.” Hux tried to hobble away from him but Ren, obviously, was quicker.  
    “Come on! You weigh like thirty pounds soaking wet, Gingersnap!” Kylo caught his wrist gently and tugged him back. “Let me?”  
    Hux didn’t know if it was the feeling of Ren’s long fingers wrapped around his wrist, or the way that he’d finally asked before manhandling him. Either way, Hux nodded, a smile growing on his face, as he let Ren pull him closer. He offered his back again and HUx took a deep breath before gingerly shining his injured leg onto Ren’s hips.  
    “There ya go, Frenchie! Live a little!” Ren seemed to squat a little more to add some stability.  
    “Ok, hold still!” Hux laughed as he braced himself and jumped ip onto Ren’s back. “Wait, wait!” Ren took a hesitant step forward that jostled Hux’s injured foot loose of it’s hold. “Ouch, Kylo, hold on.”  
    “I’m sorry.” Ren winced and tried not to move.  
    When Hux was fully settled and his foot had stopped throbbing from the jostling, he wrapped his arms around Ren’s neck, and let go of a large breath of air. “Alright, just please be careful.”  
    “Yeah,” Ren said a little quietly but still confident, “I won’t hurt you, Armitage.”  
    “Woah,” Hux’s stomach gave an uneasy flip, “Let’s stay away from calling me by my first name.” He snapped, but then thought better of it. “Uh, I just hate it.” He tried to explain as Ren started off at an easy pace down the beach. “So, Hux is fine, or even one of your five hundred nicknames for me.” He tried to keep it light but he wasn’t sure how well that worked.  
    “Yeah, Gingersnap,” Ren’s voice was soft, but sincere. “Yeah, of course.” There was a short pause, “So you like my nicknames, eh Red?”  
    Hux let his head fall onto Ren’s shoulder as he laughed. His mouth was close to Ren’s ear as he answered, “I don’t like your nicknames.”  
    “You’re a damn dirty liar, Hux.” Ren smiled as he continued down the beach.  
————  
    “It’s going to take me all night to get the sand out of my cast.” Hux grumbled as Ren walked backward making an obnoxious beeping sound as if he were a dump truck. Ren made it back to his car, backwards (still beeping), and didn’t stop until the back of his knees were on his trunk bumper.  
    “All right. I’m gonna let you down slowly. Do you want me to hold your foot up?”  
    “Uhm, no. I don’t think so.” Hux shook his head as Ren started to lower him down.  
    “Hux, babe, you’ve got to let go of my neck.” Ren laughed, a little distorted from how tightly Hux’s fingers were crushing his windpipe.  
    “Sorry, you’re really tall.” He laughed, loosening his arms and letting Ren set him down. There was minimum pain, and when Ren turned around again, Hux smiled up at him. “I’m not really used to it.”  
    Ren gave him a pat on the head, “I’m sure you’re not, short stack.”  
    “Oh piss off.” Hux shoved his hand away while he laughed. “Hey listen, thanks. For today.” He lifted his injured leg to rest it on top of the other as he sat on the trunk of Ren’s station wagon. “I . . . think I needed it.” He answered softly.  
    Ren stepped closer, letting Hux’s legs swing between his own as he moved closer. Ren’s eyes were warm and brown, even in the night filled sky, Hux could see that he wasn’t moving his glance. “Of course.” Slowly, he leaned forward, letting his arms swing forward and drift towards the edge of the car.  
    Hux, noticing Ren’s movements, leaned back slightly to create a little space. Ren kept moving through, until his arms were caging Hux in between his chest and his car. Hux, still trying to create space, leaned back until his hands were being used to support his body.  
    Ren, suddenly up close and personal, spoke softly, “Hux,” He paused, “Armitage.” Hux winced even though he was trying not to and Ren laughed quietly. He lifted his hand slowly to Hux’s face, to ease the tension from his name. But he left his thumb, stroking across Hux’s sharp cheekbones, “I’m not sure if you know this yet,” He seemed to move closer and Hux couldn’t keep his eyes off of him. “But I’d do almost anything for you.” Ren’s eyes flicked down to Hux’s lips. “If you’d let me.”  
    Hux held his breath.


	3. Week Three

    Three weeks in and Hux was still rocking the pill bottle. He’d had at least two doctor’s appointments, each one telling him that the pain should have been gone by now. Or at least, diminished. Instead, Hux was waking up half way through the night, every night, trying to keep from shaking. Not to mention the nightmares. Combined with the pain, the nightmares, and the anxiety, Hux wasn’t getting anywhere near eight hours a night.  
    He was supposed to be relaxing, ‘sitting tight’ until his lawyer got back to him, but the only thing he could focus on was his trial, his pain, and his boredom. In short, Hux was not relaxing. Not in the least.  
    “You look like death.” Ren’s voice, as usual, traveled farther than his body and left Hux looking for him after he’d heard him.  
    “That’s awful nice of you.” Hux responded once the friendly giant had loped through the front door. He walked straight towards the hostess stand and pressed a kiss into Hux’s cheek. “Ren!” Hux almost fell off the stool he was sitting on from the sheer force of his affection.  
    “Oh, stop.” Ren offered his hand for balance though. “When’s your lunch break?”  
    “Uhm, never?” Hux scoffed. “I don’t get a lunch break.”  
    “What?” Ren stopped, turning back around and heading back around the other customers. “You don’t get a lunch break?”  
    “Kylo, come on.” Hux whispered to him as Ren stepped to the side of the podium. “I’ve got customers.”  
    “Screw the customers, Hux!” Ren exclaimed, “You need food!”  
    Hux laughed, “No, /you/ need food.” He sighed, the smile still apparent on his face, as he leaned in and whispered, “Kylo, I saved our regular table in the back. Go sit down already.”  
    Ren’s face instantly brightened, “Thank you, baby. And during the Lunch Rush?” He reached forward and grabbed Hux’s chin to pull him into a kiss.  
    Hux was practically giggling into the kiss, “Ren, stop. Go. I’ll be there when I get done.” He promised.  
    “Stop harassing my employees!” Poe walked through the foyer yelling loudly with a clipboard raised in the air.  
————  
    “When do you get off tonight, Sugar?”  
    Hux blushed slightly, “Ren. Cool it.” Ren only smiled at him, raising an eyebrow at the unanswered question. Hux smiled, “I get off at six.”  
    Ren’s smirk spread into a smile and he reached under the small table to rest his hand on Hux’s knee. “Good. I wanna take you out tonight.”  
    Hux looked up at him in shock, “L - like a, like a date?”  
    Ren laughed and quirked his head to the side, “Yeah, like a date. What else would it be?”  
    Ren was briefly distracted as Poe brought his food and Hux took the time to have a mini panic attack at the word ‘date’. But when Ren looked back at him, Hux was fine and smiling. “Where are you taking me?”  
    “You’ll see.” Ren said suspiciously.  
    “Or,” Hux chuckled, “You could just tell me now?” He didn’t like surprises too much.  
    “I could.” Ren smiled as he grabbed a chip. “But I’m not going to.”  
    “Wouldn’t expect anything else.” Hux murmured as he watched him eat. “Do you want to meet me here?”  
    “Yeah, sure.” Ren nodded, speaking around a mouthful of food.  
    Hux shook his head in slight disgust and slight humor. “You’re disgusting.”  
    Ren, after taking another bite, nodded and laughed. He raised a chip out to Hux, “Wanf one?”  
    He laughed softly, “No. Thank you.”  
    Ren joined him as he finished chewing. When his laughter had died down, he asked, “But seriously, Gingersnap, when’s the last time you ate?”  
    “Breakfast.” Hux lied easily.  
    “Well, you need to eat something. Especially if you’re not getting off until six.”  
    Hux hesitated, “I’m just not hungry right now, Ren.”  
    “That’s fine, but you should eat /something/. It doesn’t have to be big.”  
    It seemed that Ren felt strongly about this topic, so Hux nodded to appease him. “Sure. I’ll stop a little later and eat something.”  
    “Good. If you pass out before our date, I’m going to be very upset with you.”  
    “Oh, are you?” Hux laughed. “Good to know. I’ll avoid it.”  
    “As you should.”  
————  
    After what felt like forever, Hux’s work day finally slid to a close. It wasn’t bad after Ren left. With the lunch rush having ended, the only other major thing was the dinner rush which Hux wasn’t staying for anyway, but it was still almost impossible for him to keep his thoughts on his work. All he could think about was the date Ren had promised him.  
    “Ok, what’s up with you?” It was an hour from the end of his shift when Finn approached him with a concerned look. “You don’t seem yourself.”  
    Hux sighed as he shifted off his casted foot. “Sorry. I know I haven’t been very helpful today.”  
    “No, just since lunch.” Finn smiled a mischievous grin. “Are you distracted by something? Something perhaps said by Kylo?”  
    Hux narrowed his eyes,  “What are you on about, Finn?”  
    “Nothing!” Finn raised his hands in surrender but the smile was still in place, “I just think it’s nice to see you two hanging out.”  
    “Ok.” Hux answered slowly, “That’s weird.”  
    Finn laughed, “I haven’t seen Kylo with anybody for a long time. He’s a good guy, so it’s nice.”  
    “I don’t know what you mean.” Hux feigned ignorance.  
    Which Finn saw right through, “Sure.” He laughed, “So, did he say something this afternoon or what?”  
    After realizing that it would probably be impossible to leave this place without Finn getting his answer, Hux sighed. “Yes. He, uh, actually asked me out. I agreed to go with him.”  
    Finn’s smile was almost blinding, “That’s great. Is it tonight?”  
    “Yes.”  
    “Then what are you still doing here?” Finn asked surprised.  
    “My job?” Hux laughed. “I don’t get off until six.”  
    “Oh screw the job!” Finn shouted, “Go home and get ready!”  
    Hux looked at him in shock, “You’re telling me to leave early? Shouldn’t I get in trouble for that?”  
    “Nah.” Finn waved him off and winked, “I’m sleeping with the owner so I got you covered.”  
    Hux laughed, “All right. Then I guess I’m going home.”  
    Hux turned to leave when Finn called out to him, “Hey, just make sure to have a good time alright?”  
    It had been a really long time since Hux had genuinely smiled at people, but it seemed that this stupid rundown diner was bringing out a different side of him. “I will.”  
————  
    By the time Hux made it back to Stardust, he was groomed and ready for his date. Physically ready, that is. Mentally, he was still having a slight breakdown, and when he saw Ren’s car pull up across the lonely two lane street, his heart rate picked up.  
    Ren looked great as he walked towards him with a bright smile on his face. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Hey, you look nice. Did you change?” His head tilted to the right.  
    Hux smirked, “You didn’t expect me to go on a date in gross work clothes, did you?”  
    “Touché.” Ren laughed. “I’ve got everything planned.” His face was full of excitement and he was talking with his hands. “Are you ready to go?”  
    “Absolutely.”  
    Ren led Hux back across the street and opened the passenger side door. After climbing in himself, he started the car and pulled out of the Stardust’s parking lot and headed towards town.  
    “I take it you’re a fan of surprises?” Hux asked the question to the window, unable to look away from the beautiful beach sunset as they drove down the coast.  
    Ren’s response was to laugh lightly, “You could say that. You don’t?”  
    “No.” Hux answered frankly. There was no reason to lie to him about this.  
    “So this must be killing you right now?” He smirked over at him as they pulled up to a stoplight.  
    “You’re such a jerk.”  
    Ren laughed again, “Why do you hate surprises, Hux?” Hux only shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to answer. Ren looked over at him again, “Is it because you don’t like giving up control?”  
    “What?” Hux’s head whipped around to look at him.  
    “You like being in control of things, so naturally, you don’t like surprises because you don’t know what’s going on.”  
    “I - uhm. Listen -“  
    “Hux, don’t try to deny it.” Ren laughed, “I can tell by the way your eyebrows wrinkle whenever I ask you if you need help.”  
    Hux looked down at his fingers. He thought he’d hidden that pretty well, but apparently not. “Maybe if you didn’t ask me five hundred times a day.” He mumbled. As soon as the sentence was out, Hux realized that it probably wasn’t the best thing to say.  
    But Ren only laughed, “Maybe if you weren’t in a cast, I wouldn’t.”  
    “You’re the one that put me in it.” Again, not the best time to point that out.  
    “I know.” Ren stopped at another light and turned to face him, “So let me help you. There’s nothing wrong with accepting help.”  
    “I know that.” Hux answered defensively, “I just don’t need the help.”  
    Ren’s shoulders shook with concealed laughter, “Ok.” As far as Hux was concerned, this was not a good start to their date.  
    After the awkward silence made by Hux’s comment, the conversation flowed a little easier. They talked about the diner, and how Ren had got into surfing, and how Hux’s foot was doing until Ren pulled the car into a parking lot. Hux could honestly say that he was surprised.  
    “Mini golf?” Hux held onto Ren’s arms as he pulled him from the passenger seat and into a standing position. In truth, Hux probably could have gotten up by himself. It didn’t hurt so much to shift his weight anymore, but Ren’s arms were very large and very muscular and there was no way Hux was missing a chance to put his hands all over them.  
    “Yeah, mini golf. Ever played?” Ren pulled his crutches from the backseat and handed them to him.  
    Hux turned around to stare at the giant dilapidated, whether by intent or age, Hux wasn’t sure, pirate ship with the words ‘Treasure Island Adventure Mini Golf’ Sprawled across the ship’s side. “No.” He shifted on the crutches to get ready to walk, “I’m sure you’ve realized that there’s quite a few things I haven’t done.” He started a little dejectedly.  
    Ren stepped up beside him. “That’s what i’m here for. Let’s go.” He set a warm hand on the small of Hux’s back and spurred him forward.  
    “Will I be able to do it?” Hux asked once they’d made it through the main entrance and were now staring at the bucket full of neon colored golf balls and clubs.  
    “You should be. I can teach you how, if you don’t know, and hold your crutches. It shouldn’t need the amount of force it would take to knock you off balance.” Hux was slightly taken aback at Ren’s rather logical and mathematical response. Ren looked at him briefly, “Yeah. I know things.”  
    “I didn’t say anything.” Hux defended himself.  
    Without looking at him this time, Ren answered. “Your face did.”  
    “I was merely surprised that I didn’t think of it first.” Hux tried to backtrack.  
    Ren laughed, “Now /that/ I believe.” He reached into the bucket and pulled out a neon orange ball and tossed it to Hux.  
    Hux’s hand came off his crutch to catch it against his chest. When he looked down at the color, he tossed Ren a glare. “Very funny.”  
    “I thought so.” Ren winked before grabbing another ball and two of their largest clubs. Hux tucked the golf ball into his pocket and hobbled after Ren. “So, game rules are basically like real golf. You can only hit it from the starting spot once. Play it where it lands after that. The number of shots that each hole is ‘supposed’ to take is on the sign by the hole.” Ren had placed ‘supposed’ in air quotes.  
    “What’s with the . . .?” Hux questioned.  
    “Well, it’s like an American tradition that all mini golf courses are rigged. So, while it’s ‘supposed’ to take two strokes, it most likely will take four.” He explained.  
    “That doesn’t sound like fun.” Hux didn’t necessarily like being cheated.  
    “No, trust me, it will be. The fun isn’t in achievement, it’s in beating your opponent.” Ren smiled at him over his shoulder and Hux smirked. Maybe this date would be fun after all.  
    They approached the first hole, decorated as if it were a small woodland pond that perhaps housed some magical creatures. In fact, there was a mermaid peeking his head out from around the large wooden log the ball was supposed to travel through to get to the hole.  
    Ren gestured for Hux to go first and then moved behind him. “If you’re foot starts hurting, let me know. We can take a break. There are tons of benches and sitting areas.”  
    “Ok.” Again, Hux answered only to appease him.  
    Ren stepped up to the platform and took one of Hux’s crutches. When Hux was balanced on his good foot, he took the other one and handed him the golf club. Hux pulled the ball from his pocket and dropped it to the floor. He took a steadying breath, and tried to hit the ball as straight as possible. To his dismay, the ball traveled straight until it slid down a slope and caught the edge of the wooden log.  
    “Good shot.” Ren stepped up and returned his crutches.  
    “What are you talking about? It’s all the way over there now.” He pointed at it’s position.  
    “Yeah, but you’re at a good angle to get pretty close to the hole. You’ll see on the other side.” He gestured for Hux to step aside and took his place. Ren didn’t take his preparation as seriously, taking only one practice swing before hitting the ball towards the opposite end of the platform. Ren’s ball also missed the wooden log, but Hux noticed it was on purpose.  
    When they made it to the other side and Hux could clearly see the hole, he realized why Ren had purposefully avoided the wooden log. On the other side was a slope that would have veered his ball way off course. Hux realized Ren was a lot smarter than he acted. He gave him a curious look, “So you play this a lot?” Ren smirked but didn’t say anything.  
    Hux was starting to learn that when Ren said something, he meant it. He had had a lot of fun playing and he’d only had to stop twice during eighteen holes. While the course was very obviously rigged, one didn’t mind too much when they were playing against someone else. Hux was convinced that Ren was going easy on him although Ren denied it, but Ren still ended up winning so Hux couldn’t really argue the point.  
    “Whatever. I want a rematch.” Hux grumbled as they returned their equipment.  
    “Right now?” Ren asked surprised.  
    “No, when I’m better. I’m disabled so of course I’d play worse.”  
    “It’s also your first time.” Ren added, “I’d be happy to take you back. I’m glad you had fun.”  
    Hux’s annoyance at losing dissipated and he smiled shyly, “I did.”  
    “Well the night’s not over yet, Gingersnap.” Ren wrapped his arm around Hux’s waist and they walked back towards the car.  
    The next place Ren took him was the boardwalk. It was a little crowded, which killed the mood a little, but once they started walking down the wooden planks,  the crowd started to thin and they could talk a little more.  
    “Can I ask you something?” Ren was sitting on one of the wooden benches looking up at Hux when he asked.  
    Hux had opted to stand, wanting to lean over the railing and see the water and fish below. He looked down at Ren to see him sitting with the side of his body leaning against the back of the bench. He even sat on benches weird. “Sure.”  
    “Why are you so secretive?”  
    “Secretive?” Hux’s hands suddenly started to sweat and he closed them into fists against the railing.  
    “Yeah, you don’t really talk about your life much.” Ren didn’t take his eyes off of him as he waited for an answer.  
    Hux dropped his head and went back to looking at the fish swimming below him. “I don’t know.”  
    “See? Even that is a non answer.” Ren replied.  
    It seemed that Ren was eager to know, and they /were/ on a date. Wasn’t that what dates were for? To get to know the person you wanted to be with? Hux took a silent breath before speaking, “My life isn’t that interesting anyway, Ren.”  
    “It is to me.” He reached out with his hand and poked Hux’s knee. “Come on.” He pushed quietly. “How bad could it be?”  
    Hux shook his head slightly and winced at the thoughts of his past. “Bad.”  
    Ren stood and leaned against the railing next to him. “Gingersnap, you’re not the only one with an ugly past. If you don’t want to tell me, I’ll respect that, but unless you’re a murderer, there’s not much that could scare me away from you. I already know you don’t have a soul.”  
    Hux couldn’t help but laugh at the stupid joke. “I tried to steal one from my last lover, but it didn’t work out too well.” He teased.  
    “Ew,” Kylo laughed, “‘Lover’.”  
    Hux joined him, “You’re a child.” After a few seconds, he finally turned to face him, one arm still leaning against the railing. “You really want to know?”  
    Kylo faced him as well, and with the serious face that he rarely wore, he nodded. “Yes.”  
    Hux nodded and turned back towards the water. “It started about nine years ago when I graduated college.”  
  
  
    Telling Ren the truth had been hard, and in the end he hand’t even told him the whole truth. He’d stuck to the personal details, leaving out his illegal actions and future trial cases, and blaming his bender and resulting institutional commitment on stress. It was believable enough. He’d had a high power job and many had dropped out because they couldn’t handle the fast pace and high pressure situation. Hux had lived on it. Seeing each new challenge as another step up the ladder. But in the end, it had taken him down just like the others.  
    Ren, for his part, had stayed silent and respectful as Hux told his life story and how he’d ended up being run over by Ren at the beach. When he finished, Hux was still looking at the water to avoid having to look at his surely pitiful face. Hux couldn’t have stood that.  
    To his surprise, without saying anything, Ren reached out a large, warm hand and set it on his waist. Hux was almost relieved but he still couldn’t look at him. After minutes had gone by of the two men standing against the railing, Hux finally couldn’t live with the silence anymore. He turned his head slightly to see Ren’s calm face watching the fish in the water with interest. When Ren noticed Hux had finally looked at him, he gave him a small smile. “I’m still here, Gingersnap.”  
————  
    “Uh,” Ren chuckled, “Ok. I was probably around thirteen or fourteen and I didn’t really know I liked men yet, so I was on this date with this girl. Both of our parents dropped us off at the movies and it was right before they were coming to pick us up. I was nervous out of my mind.” Ren laughed. “She leaned forward, kissed me, and it was the grossest thing i’d ever done.” Hux busted out laughing with Ren. “I didn’t kiss another person for an entire year and by that time I knew I was gay, so it turned out a little better.”  
    “I’m sorry your first kiss wasn’t what you thought it would be.”  
    Ren shrugged happily, “It’s not that big of a deal to me. Probably crushed that girl’s heart through. I do not think I was subtle.”  
    Hux rolled his eyes but was still smiling, “Sounds like you.”  
    “You’re turn.” Kylo smiled. They were still on the boardwalk, the night life of which was complete with the lulling sound of crashing waves over distant sounds of the arcade. They’d gotten pretzels and hot dogs along the way but weren’t quite ready to leave so they’d made their way down to the pier. “What’s the one food that you can’t live without?”  
    Hux snorted, “That’s such an odd question. Why would you ask that?”  
    Ren looked at him with humor, “Just answer it, Gingersnap.”  
    “Ok, fine. Uh,” Hux racked his brain for the last time he had a meal that he had felt so strongly about that he could couldn’t live without. “I don’t know, Ren. I don’t think about food like that.” He tried to explain, unable to come up with an answer.  
    “Ok, if you had to make a split decision about it. Like don’t think, just name a food.”  
    Hux sighed, “Fine. Uh, Lasagna.”  
    Ren smiled at him, “Lasagna?”  
    “Yes. I like Lasagna and apparently can’t live without it.” He snorted. Hux looked down into the dark water. He couldn’t see anything beyond the surface, the sun had set hours ago, but still the ripples were amazing. “Have you always wanted to live in California?”  
    “I think so.”  
    “You think so?” Hux looked over at him. “Haven’t you lived here your whole life?”  
    “Nope.” Ren shook his head, “I moved here when I was around eighteen for college. It didn’t sit too well with me so I left and i’ve been here ever since.”  
    Hux watched his face. There wasn’t any emotion on it, as if he’d dealt with his problems a long time ago. It was off putting to see someone so settled. Technically it was Ren’s turn to ask a question, but Hux was too interested to play fair. “How did you know?”  
    Ren turned to him with an open expression, “Know what?”  
    “That college wasn’t right for you. That you should stay here anyway.” Hux envied him the certainty. When he’d gone to college, all he could think about was getting out and staying out. He’d chosen the major that would make him the most money because he’d never wanted to go back. When he’d graduated he’d applied to as many jobs as possible and took the one that paid the most. It had never been about what he liked. It had never been about where he belonged. He had only ever been thinking about survival.  
    Ren thought about it for a second before answering, “College is a big thing in my family. Not really the institution, but the message behind it. Finding something you’re good at, learning about it, and then choosing a career in that field. When I finally got out here to start school, I loved it. I loved the atmosphere, the people, the campus was even beautiful. But I felt like something was missing, so I left. Simple as that.”  
    Hux watched him in awe. “But you stayed here?”  
    “Mhm. I knew that it was the school and not the state because I was happy every time I wasn’t at school. I knew that it wasn’t where I was supposed to be so I moved out of my dorm and took the money my parents would have spent on college and started my life.”  
    “And they were fine with that?”  
    Ren laughed. “Hell no. My mother wouldn’t speak to me for several months and my father only grumbled when he called to make sure I was still alive.” He shook his head, still laughing.  
    Hux smiled, “Do they understand why you did it?”  
    Ren nodded, “Eventually. When they came out to visit me and I could explain it to them. When they saw how happy I was and how I was doing.” He smiled, “Eventually they understood.”  
    “That’s good.” Hux answered earnestly, “I’m glad that you found a place you like.”  
    Ren leaned and bumped Hux’s shoulder with his own, “You will too.”  
————  
    Ren had wanted to hold his hand as they walked back to his car. Because that was impossible with crutches, he placed his hand on his lower back instead. “I had a really great time tonight, Kylo.”  
    “I’m glad. I did too.” Ren turned towards him as they came up to the passenger side. “I’d like to take you out again.”  
    “Sure.” Hux could feel the blood rising up his face.  
    Ren smiled down at him and raised his hand to run his thumb across his flushed cheeks. He met his glance before his eyes flicked down to his lips and he leaned in for a kiss. Hux held his breath until their lips met and then sighed in relief. Kissing was a little difficult when all he wanted to do was run his hands through Ren’s hair but he needed his hands to stay standing. Ren had the freedom though, and teased him with it by smoothing his free hand against Hux’s hip.  
    When he was breathless, Hux pulled his lips away with a smile and a breath of air. “It’s getting late, Kylo. What kind of man do you think I am?” He smirked.  
    “A handsome one.” Ren smiled. “Hollywood Beach?” As Ren asked the question his smile slipped a little.  
    “Yes, please.” Hux still refused to tell Ren where he lived. Now that he’d told him his story, he might eventually, but it was still embarrassing to say that he paid his rent by the week. Ren opened the door and grabbed the crutches from him before closing it. Hux could feel how upset he was about his end destination and when Kylo got back in the car, he tried to make up for it. “Next time, i’m taking you out.”  
    “Is that so?” Ren looked over at him, his eyes shining.  
    “Yes.”  
    “With what car?” Ren smirked over at him.  
    “Oh, shush. I just mean, I would like to make the plans.”  
    “Ok then.” Ren pulled out of the parking lot and into the night traffic. “You set the date, and I’ll meet you.”  
    “Great.” Hux sat satisfied in his seat and Ren chuckled at him. He pulled up to the Hollywood Beach sign and stopped the car. Grabbing Hux’s crutches, he helped him out of the car and then leaned on the side of it to look at him.  
    “Why are you staring at me?” Hux settled himself on his crutches and got his bearings.  
    “Because I like you and I want to kiss you again.  
    Hux, unwillingly, smiled and hobbled forward to kiss his lips. Ren hummed into his mouth and offered a dejected sound when Hux pulled away again. “Goodnight Kylo.”  
    “Goodnight Armitage.”  
    “Stop!” Hux laughed at Ren’s mischievous smirk as he watched him climb into the car. Hux stood on the corner and watched him drive away before turning around and walking to the bust stop.   
    But Ren didn’t leave.  
————  
    Kylo was more than grateful that Hux trusted him enough to tell him his story but he still felt uncomfortable leaving him on a street corner. He knew Hux would be mad. He’d only known the man for three weeks, but he knew. It didn’t matter. Kylo needed to know that Hux was ok, especially now that he knew the details surrounding his recent move.  
    After riding around the block, Kylo sat on the street corner and watched Hux wait on a bench at the bus stop. Kylo was at least happy that he wasn’t walking back to where ever he lived. He didn’t want him to hurt his foot any more. Kylo felt his heart drop as he watched Hux’s head drop against his chest and fold his arms as he waited.  
    “Fuck.” Ren closed his eyes and tried not to look.  
    His head whipped back around however when he heard the tell tale sounds of a large vehicle. The bus pulled up to the stop and waited as Hux got his crutches and maneuvered into the tight space. He swiped his bus card and went to take his seat. The bus headed east and turned right. Ren followed behind in his car.  
————  
    Hux had been working in the back for almost two hours when he heard Ren’s voice. He wasn’t ashamed to say he turned the water off to listen while he scrubbed the plates. The dishwasher was broken again.  
    “Hey, is Hux around?”  
    Poe was the one who answered. “Yeah, I think he’s in the back.” There was a slight pause and then, “Is something wrong? You look upset.” Hux’s heart started to race as he listened.  
    “Nah, I’m alright man.” Kylo let loose a heavy sigh.  
    “Seriously? Dude, who are you talking to right now?” Poe’s voice held a sardonic tone.  
    Kylo gave a rough chuckle, but even Hux could tell his heart wasn’t in it. “It’s all right. Honestly. I’d rather just talk to Hux about it.”  
    “Yeah,” Hux could hear the seriousness in Poe’s voice. “Yeah, man, go on back.”  
    Hux practically jumped and turned the water back on moments before there was a light knock on the door to the storage and washroom. “Hux?”  
    “Back here!” Hux called as if he didn’t know who it was and hadn’t been able to hear him. Kylo made his way around a metal storage rack on wheels and found Hux standing at the sink with his gloves on.  
    “Hey, what are you doing? You should be sitting while you can.” Ren, suddenly very concerned, looked around and grabbed the stool that Poe kept nearby in case he needed it on shift.  
    Hux chuckled and sat down when Ren set the stool down for him. “Thank you, Ren.” He tried to feign innocence. “What’s up? Getting some food? They’re having a special on your favorite.”  
    “Friday Chili Cheese Fries will have to wait, I’m afraid.” Ren’s concern fell from his face as Hux was now seated and the previous discomfort he’d heard in Ren’s voice came back to his face. “Can I - can we talk about something?”  
    Hux’s heart raced. “Yes. Of course. Do you want to go outside or something? I’m due for another break.”  
    Ren looked around the back area before nodding, “Yeah, that sounds nice.” He waited patiently as Hux let Poe know that he’d be back in fifteen. Then Hux led him back towards the back door and hopped through it.  
    “So.” Hux leaned one crutch against the building and brought the other one in front of him. “What did you want to talk about?”  
    Ren seemed even more uncomfortable than he’d sounded. His hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, still wet from a shower Hux guessed. The t-shirt he was wearing was old and faded and the jeans had paint and dirt stains all over them. His hands were shoved into his pockets and Hux could tell they were curled into tight fists. He looked down at his feet and kicked at a rock, kicking up dust as well, “I followed you home last night.” Ren said suddenly.  
    Hux’s heart, previously pounding in his chest, dropped into his stomach and his face paled. “What?”  
    “I - I didn’t feel right leaving you like that. I wanted to make sure you were safe.”  
    “So you stalked me?” Hux almost fell from his own shock and he re-situated his crutch under his right arm.  
    “Hux, it’s not like that.” Ren sighed and pulled his other crutch off the building and passed it to him. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”  
    Hux rolled his eyes and looked away from. “And was I, Ren?”  
    Ren’s face fell, “Hux,” His voice was low and pitiful and Hux hated it. “Wh -“  
    “Don’t.” Hux stopped him harshly.  
    “I want to help you.”  
    “Then you can help me by leaving.” And with that Hux turned around and limped back through the still open door.  
    “Fuck.” Ren sighed and turned around to leave.


	4. Week Four

    Ren showed up at the Stardust every day for the next six days. Which honestly wasn’t unusual, except he never sat down to eat or asked for coffee to go. Each time, he’d approach the hostess stand and wait for Hux to acknowledge him. Sometimes Hux would ignore him, for the most part Hux ignored him. But then, Ren’s puppy dog face was too much and on the fourth day, he’d sunken to glaring and reciting sarcastic comments when Ren came around, which had grown to twice a day by then.  
    “Hi, Hux.” It had been exactly a week since they’d fought and Ren was walking up to the podium slowly in the lull of hungry customers.  
    “Ren.”  
    “You look nice.” Ren smiled.  
    “Thank you.” Hux kept his answers short and refused to look at him.  
    There was a short breath, “Hux, could you at least look at me?”  
    “No, I’m fine. Thank you though.” Hux replied as if he were talking to someone he didn’t want to punch in the face.  
    “Come on, Gingersnap.” Ren whined lightly.  
    “Don’t call me that.” Hux shook his head lightly finding it a little harder to keep his impassive facade.  
    Ren’s face fell, “I thought you liked my nicknames.”  
    “What I like is not being followed around and people respecting my privacy.” Hux’s voice spiked slightly and he looked around him. “Ren, you can’t be here right now, doing this.”  
    “Hux, you have to believe me. I wasn’t trying to be a creep or infringe on your privacy. After you told me about your history, I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” Ren’s face was full of sadness and concern.  
    “Ren, I didn’t tell you that so you could follow me around and treat me like a lost puppy. I’m fine. I can handle myself.” Hux spoke through gritted teeth.  
    Ren nodded and took an earnest step forward, “I know you can. You’re amazingly strong, Hux. I just -“ He closed his eyes and let his head drop to his chest. Hux finally looked over at him and felt a pull at the center of his chest. “I just wanted to help.” He looked back up at him. “You have to know that.”  
    And deep down, Hux was sure that he did. Ren was just that type of person. His eyes fell away and he looked down at his own clammy fingers. Before he knew it, Ren’s larger fingers came into view to cover his and Hux sighed. He wasn’t sure if it was in relief or not.  
    “Hux, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in that situation. I didn’t mean to -“  
    “It’s embarrassing.” Hux cut him off quietly. “I didn’t want anybody to know. I just don’t have the funds at the moment and saving is hard. Even though I appreciate everything Poe and Finn are doing for me.” He shook his head, “I don’t like people looking at me like -“ He looked up to see Ren’s face and scowled, “Like that. With pity.”  
    Ren’s head titled, “It’s empathy. I’m just empathizing with your struggles. That’s all.”  
    Hux glared at him but when Ren squeezed his hand around Hux’s fingers, he hadn’t even realized they were still holding hands, he felt reassured. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, right?”  
    “No.” Ren answered seriously, “I am not.”  
    Hux slowly nodded, and twisted his hands around to hold Ren’s properly, “Ok.”  
    Ren nodded, “Ok.”  
————  
    “Could I ask you a favor?” Hux set his foot up on the chair next to him as Ren dug into a large double order (something they only gave to him) of Chili Cheese Fries.  
    “Fure.” Ren stated, mouth full of cheese and potato.  
    Hux smiled, “Still disgusting.” Ren laughed. “Would you mind taking me to the hospital later today? After work?”  
    Ren nodded before swallowing, “Sure. Is something wrong? Did you hurt your foot?” Their ‘fight’ had ended a couple of hours ago but Hux could tell Ren was trying not to hover over him.  
    “No. I need to go in for a check up, though, so they can see how I’m healing.” Hux answered. “Maybe I can get rid of one of these crutches. I’ve been doing better.”  
    “You have been getting better.” Ren smiled at him. “After work? When do you get off?”  
    “I told Finn about my appointment and he said I could leave at four.” Ren shoveled another fork full of fries into his mouth.  
    “Four. Got it. I’ll be here.”  
    “I know you will be.” Hux pulled his foot back to the ground and sighed, “I’ve got to get back to work.”  
    Ren held out his hand to Hux, “See you before I leave?”  
    He grabbed it and squeezed lightly, “Of course.” He grabbed his crutches and moved back to the hostess stand.  
    Poe came around from the bar as soon as Hux was clear and took his seat. He gestured with his chin towards Hux, “Everything all right?”  
    Ren turned to look at Hux who was smiling and greeting customers before pointing to their tables and apologizing for not being able to walk them there. Ren couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah. He turned back to Poe. “Everything is great.”  
————  
    “I’m here! I’m here!” Ren ran across the road, tripping slightly over a broken branch, but regaining his stride and coming to stand in front of Hux who was waiting by the front entrance on his crutches.  
    “It’s fine.” Hux shrugged, “You’re only a few minutes late.” He started to move towards the car.  
    “No, it’s not fine. I said I would be here at four.” Ren was clearly a little disheveled. His hair was pulled back into a messy bun, the shirt he’d worn earlier was now covered in odd stains and there was a tear in the knee of his jeans.  
    “Uh,” Hux looked over at him as he tried to keep his balance. “Is everything all right?”  
    “Yeah.”  
    “Are you sure?” Hux didn’t want to push but he’d never seen Ren this frazzled before. “I don’t mean to intrude, but you look a little upset.”  
    He walked around and opened his own door, “Thank you for being concerned, but seriously it’s fine. Just a project that’s giving me some trouble.”  
    When he climbed into the car, Hux asked him, “What project?” He had noticed that while Kylo had a keen interest in getting to know Hux, it seemed that Hux didn’t know too much about Kylo.  
    “I’m working on this series of dinnerware.”  
    “Dinnerware? Like -“  
    “Yeah, plates, bowls, shit like that.”  
    “What do you mean ‘working’?” Hux tried to seem casual about the question but he did really want to get to know him and what he was interested in.  
    “Well,” Ren pulled out of the parking lot. “I’ve been messing around with pottery lately and I’ve already got all the plates made. Those looked the hardest, so I started them first, but I started working on the bowls today and it’s a lot harder than I realized. I got frustrated and lost track of time.”  
    Hux reached over and poked at one of the odd stains, “Is that what this is?” He offered Ren a small smile, letting him know that he wasn’t upset with him for being a few minutes behind.  
    Ren sighed, but the smile was back on his face. “Yes. This shirt is covered in clay and water.”  
    “Mhm, and what’s with the tear?” Hux gestured towards his knee.  
    “Ok.” Ren laughed, “Am I supposed to be date - ready at all times of the day?”  
    “Yes.” Hux grinned. “No, I’m only wondering because it’s actually quite hard to rip jeans.”  
    “I know! I snagged them on the edge of a table in my warehouse.”  
    “One of your friends mentioned that earlier when we were at the beach. What is your ‘warehouse’?” His shifted his cast a little so he could turn in towards Ren.  
    “Uh, it’s this old fashioned firehouse that had been abandoned for a few years before I stumbled across it on a hike. I was squatting in it for a year or so until the city found it and fined me. I was so annoyed, I ended up buying it.”  
    Hux chuckled and shook his head at such an odd story. “So you call it the warehouse. Do you live there?”  
    “Nah, my house is closer to the beach.” He looked over at Hux with a smile, “I couldn’t live that far away from the water.”  
    “I wanna see you surf sometimes.” Hux decided.  
    Ren pulled into the clinic and parked in the first open spot he saw before smiling at him. “Sure, Gingersnap.” He walked around the car and opened the door for him. Hux pulled himself from the car and Ren handed him his crutches. “Especially if you get this thing off today.”  
    “Do you think they’ll take it off?” Hux looked down at his foot in surprise. “It still hurts sometimes.”  
    “Really?” Ren looked on sympathetically.  
    “In the middle of the night or sometimes in the morning.” Hux explained.  
    “Have you tried sleeping with it raised?” Ren suggested as he helped Hux over a rather large curb.  
    “No. I’ve just been following the direction on the bottle and hoping they work. My prescription is almost out anyway. I’m going to have to find something else to relieve the pain.” Hux waited in the slight line that was growing behind the front desk.  
    Ren smoothed his hand in small circles along Hux’s lower back. “We’ll figure something out.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Hux’s temple.  
    When Hux got to the front of the line, he signed in and signed the sheet of paper that said his information hadn’t changed. He turned and limped toward Ren, who’d stepped off to the side. “I hate waiting.” Ren chuckled and pulled him to lie against his chest.  
————  
    “Upside?” Hux practically screamed, “There is no upside, Kylo!”  
    “Well if you’d stop screaming, I could tell you.” Ren laughed as he swung forward and leaned his arms agains the trunk of his car. Hux sat on the trunk looking down at his brand spanking new walking boot. His skin was so pale from the cast that the black of boot stood out even more. He reached forward and readjusted one of the velcro straps that held his foot into the contraption.  
    Hux looked back at him and sighed grumpily, “What?”  
    “You can wear pants now! And socks! And walk without crutches!” Ren listed the positives.  
    “Four more weeks, Kylo! Four!” Hux was still agitated even though he did miss wearing socks.  
    “Gingersnap,” Ren smiled fondly at him, “It’ll go by quickly. You’ll see.” Hux huffed and Ren leaned down to kiss him. Hux couldn’t help but smile as Ren recreated their first kiss.  
    When Kylo pulled away, Hux’s face was flushed slightly. “Whatever.” He mumbled. Kylo smirked.  
    “Come on.” Ren pulled him away from the car.  
    “Where are we going?”  
    Ren pulled the passenger door open and then walked around to get in himself. When he realized that Hux was still sitting on the trunk, he laughed, “Hux, get in.”  
    Hux gently slid off of the car and winced lightly at the feeling of weight back on his injured foot. It felt weird, stiff, and every time he put his weight on it a sharp pain shot of up to his knee. When Hux finally reached the passenger seat, he was relieved and sunk into it quickly. He let his head fall back against the headrest and sighed. Ren’s hand came across the car and settled on Hux’s knee.  
    “They didn’t give you a refill?” Hux shook his head and sighed and Ren squeezed his knee. “Hopefully this will take your mind off of things.”  
    “Where are you taking me, Ren?”  
    Ren laughed at the edge to Hux’s voice. “It’s nothing bad, I just want to share something with you.”  
    “You torture me.” Hux announced.  
    “I’m sure, to you, it feels like it.” Hux looked over at Ren and, on impulse, stuck his tongue out. Ren only laughed harder. “It seems like you’ve got a bit of childish streak there, Hux.”  
    “If any of us is a child, Ren, it’s you.” Hux retorted. He watched as Ren exited the highway and turned toward the center of town.  
    “We have to make a quick stop first. Is that ok?” Ren looked over at him as he pulled up to a stoplight.  
    “Kylo, you’re kidnapping me, essentially.” Hux smirked, “Make as many stops as you want.”  
    “Glad you’re on board.” Ren chuckled and continued driving through the sleepy beach town until he reached what looked to Hux to be the main street. He drove about half way down and then pulled in front of a storefront. Across the front, in bold red letters was: Tricks and Tattoos.  
    As Hux neared the front of the shop, he realized it was actually two shops connected. The large glass windows melded with the doors seamlessly and made for a modern look that drastically opposed the store’s decor. Hux paused one step past the door mat. “Kylo, what is this?”  
    Kylo beamed as he turned to face him. “This is my shop.”  
    When Kylo had said ‘shop’ he’d meant bike shop. And not just any ‘bike’ shop, a motorcycle shop. To take it one step further, it wasn’t even a regular motorcycle shop. Through a wide square archway, wrapped in blinking Christmas lights, Hux might add, you could clearly see a tattoo shop. Kylo couldn’t even run a bike shop like a normal person. Hux loved it. He looked around for a second time and his mouth slid into a slow smile. “I love it, Ren.”  
    “Yeah?” As if it were possible, Ren seemed to get brighter. “It’s kind of my baby.”  
    “I can see that.” Hux smiled at the decor that clearly screamed ‘Ren’, “Tell me about it.” Hux limped towards the wall of pictures to his right and Ren followed suit. Just like with earlier, Hux felt a strong urge to know Ren. “When did you buy it?”  
    Ren made an unsure sound, tilting his head slightly, “I don’t know.” He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, “It feels like yesterday that I sighed my name on the lease, but damn, it’s gotta be around seven years now.”  
    Hux’s eyes widened in surprise, “Wow, that’s pretty exciting. I don’t think I could run a business by myself.”  
    “You know, it’s easier than you think.” Hux started to look around at all of the merchandise as Ren talked, “When you find something that you’re interested in, it just becomes a labour of live, you know.”  
    Hux’s head was almost touching his back as he looked up at floating motorcycle parts hanging from the ceiling. “So you sell parts? And do tattoos?” Hux was still a little incredulous about the second part.  
    “I know it seems a little awkward,” Ren laughed and held his hands up, “Just let me explain.”  
    Hux leaned back against the wall to take some of the pressure off his booted foot, “Ok then,” He smiled, “Explain.”  
    Ren’s smile was almost childlike, “When I bought the place, both of these stores had been up for lease for almost a decade with zero offers. The realtor was practically begging me to take the space but I was using all the money I had to get this one so I couldn’t. Cut to nine months later, and I had a business plan, inventory, employees, everything. It was a dream come true.”  
    “And how did - “  
    “Hey, i’m not done yet.” Kylo feigned offense.  
    Hux rolled his eyes, “My bad. Continue, please.”  
    “Like I was saying,” He smirked, “Everything was set up, and it was great. But the store next door kept nagging at me.” He turned his head towards the inner entrance to the tattoo parlor. Hux imagined he was seeing it as it once was. “The place stood empty for another year and a half, and by that time I had made enough money, was keeping this place afloat, and even had a few prospective artists who’d needed a place to tattoo.” Ren shrugged like it was the easiest thing in the world. “I signed the lease and knocked out this wall on the first day.” He turned back to Hux with a full smile. “The rest is standing in front of you.”  
    “So what all do you do here?”  
    “We sell new and used bikes, although our selection is small. Parts, and service,” He pointed towards the back of the building where there was a glass door leading towards what Hux thought was the back alley. “There’s a small storage area that we made into a garage.”  
    Hux nodded and then gestured towards the other side, “And do you tattoo as well?” Hux wouldn’t put it past him. Ren was amazingly artistic, but it seemed that whatever he put his mind to he achieved.  
    “Nope.” Ren shook his head, “I never got into tattooing. Occasionally one of the artist will ask for help planning a big piece for one of their clients, but that’s about it for me.”  
    “I would have figured since, well, you know.” Hux gestured to his chest to signify that he was talking about Ren’s own tattoos.  
    Ren was confused for a minute before looking down at his own chest and finally understand, “Oh! Yeah, I thought about it, but I think I would miss working with my hands.”  
    Hux nodded, “Understandable.”  
    “And on that note, I’m not working today, I just stopped by to grab something before I take you to the real surprise. So I’ll be right back.” He turned and headed towards the tattoo parlor.  
    Hux laughed and pushed off the wall, “There’s more?”  
    Ren turned around mid side and continued walking backwards with a smile, “Of course.”  
    Ren didn’t show him whatever it was that he’d come to the store to get. Only tucked it into his jean pocket and waited patiently as Hux limped through the door. However, before they could get through, a loud voice stopped them.  
    “Oi! What do you think you’re doing, asshole!”  
    Hux froze, looking at Kylo in surprise to find that instead of being startled and slightly scared of the loud accented voice, he was smiling. Hux watched Ren turn around and walk back to the person that had apparently been yelling.  
    The person was tall, Ren’s height or a little more, and as Ren hugged him Hux could see the unusual haircut he sported. A corner of his head, the corner above his left ear, was completely shaved although he’d let the rest grow long. Most of it was black except a long strip of deep red at the front. His jeans were raggedy, his shirt torn in several places and what’s worse, Hux was pretty sure it was on purpose. In short, Hux was terrified.  
    “Where have you been, idiot. I haven’t seen you in days.” The man pulled away and clapped his shoulder in a friendly manner.  
    Ren laughed, “You were on vacation for two weeks, shut up. I’ve just been busy. Plus, this place practically runs itself.”  
    “Yeah, especially with a hard ass like Phasma running the place.”  
    Ren shook his head in humor before turning and gesturing for Hux to come forward. “Hey, I want you to meet somebody.”  
    Hux took his time, mostly because he was still frightened, and offered his hand when he was close enough. “Hello.”  
    “What’s up, man.” The man shook his hand. It felt solid and calloused.  
    “Hux, this is Kai. Kai, this is my partner Hux.” Ren smiled between the two of them while Hux slowly tried to quench the flutter of nerves and excitement caused by ‘partner’. Ren had never called him that before.  
    “It’s nice to meet you.” Hux finally choked out.  
    “Likewise.” Kai inclined his head. “Well, don’t let me get in your way.” He finally smiled, brining to attention the two black jewels below his bottom lip.  
    “I’ll come back through before closing tomorrow and we can talk about your trip.” Ren and Kai bumped fists before Kai waved at Hux and the couple turned to leave.  
————  
    “Was that one of the original employees you hired when you opened the place?” Hux turned away from the window to face Ren. They were miles away from the Tricks and Tattoos now and Hux had long since gotten rid of the fluttering feeling Ren had caused.  
    “Mhm,” Ren’s hair was blowing in the breeze from the open window and, once again, he looked godly. Hux wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten so lucky. “Kai was one of the first or second that I hired. Real cool dude. Along with working at the bike shop, he also rents one of the booths at the tattoo shop.”  
    “You’ve known him for awhile then?” Hux stated conversationally.  
    “Yeah, as long as I’ve had the shop.” Ren looked over at him with an odd expression, “Why? I know he seems a little . . . much on first sight, but I swear he’s a good guy. He’s stood by me for several years. I know he’s got my back.”  
    Hux listened to him defend his friend after Hux hadn’t even formally accused him of anything. It was true that he had frightened Hux slightly, but it was mostly because he wasn’t used to California Weird, just New York Weird. After a moment, Ren caught the small smile that had been on Hux’s face.  
    “What?”  
    “Nothing,” Hux shook his head and looked away.  
    “No, come on, what?”  
    Hux laughed lightly, “Nothing, it’s just -“ He chuckled again at the odd things he found he liked about Ren. “I like that you protect your friends.”  
    Ren’s uneasiness faded and he too smiled, “Protect my friends?”  
    “Yes. I didn’t even say anything about him.”  
    “You implied it.” Ren answered sharply but sighed and laughed when Hux looked at him pointedly.  
    “I didn’t mean any offense, Kylo. I’m sorry if it came out that way.” Hux scratched the back of his head, “I wish I had friends like you.”  
    Ren looked over at him, “You do, Armitage. You have me.”  
    Hux grinned, “I hate that name.”  
    Ren laughed, “Ok, fine, Gingersnap. How about Armie? Is that one ok?”  
    He rolled his eyes fondly, but nodded, “Sure, Kylo. That one’s fine.” His eyes widened as Ren took a right turn and the city around them started to thin out. Hux didn’t know exactly where they were, but he could see the water at least two or three miles out between the trees so he know they had to be close to Stardust. “Are you taking me to your house?”  
    Kylo shook his head with a slight smile. “Nope.”  
    “Ok then.” Hux huffed a little and continued looking for sings. Eventually, Ren hung a left, and Hux could finally see where they were going. “The warehouse?”  
    At the end of the block was an old firehouse that had clearly been refurbished into something different. The something different was unclear, but the property was well kept and there were no longer fire trucks sirens at three in the morning so the neighbors were happy. Ren pulled up and parked around the back of the building. He unlocked the giant garage and looked back at Hux with a face full excitement before lifting the door.  
    Hux’s breath caught in his throat. The first thing he saw was a large canvas hanging on the far wall. It was clear that Ren wasn’t finished with it because there was a ladder beside it along with tarps spread out below it. But what Ren did have finished was spectacular. It looked like a cross between a thunderstorm and a raging tidal wave and Hux vowed to come back and see it when it was done.  
    After he was done scrutinizing the giant water feature in the corner, he moved to look at the pottery making materials, and the large storage cabinets full of paint and brushes and other materials Hux didn’t even know art could be created with. He walked around the studio with wide eyes before turning to find Ren hadn’t left the front door.  
    “Well?” His hands were curled into fists deep inside his pocket.  
    “I think it’s an amazingly cool place to do your art Kylo.” Hux told him seriously. “I couldn’t imagine being talented enough to make this.” He turned to look at the giant canvas again.  
    Ren shrugged. “it’s a work in progress. Been one for a couple of weeks now. It’s why I switched to something else. I’m hoping to get some inspiration.” He stared at the painting, tilting his head at it the same way he did at Hux. “I know it’s not finished, but I’m not sure what it needs.”  
    “And your new project involves dinnerware?”  
    “Yeah!” Ren was suddenly moving towards him, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the back right corner of the building. “I figured it would take me longer to make the plates and stuff but I couldn’t find anyone to make it for me.”  
    Hux smiled, “Have you finished any?”  
    “No, but I can show you what I want to do.” He reached inside his pockets and pulled out the thing he’d brought from the shop.  
    “Tell me all about it.”


	5. Week Five

    “Hello?” Hux sat up in bed, his ankle throbbing and head ringing, as he dragged the phone to his ear. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Hello.”  
    “Hux? It’s Thannison, your lawyer.” The hard edged voice was cold, just as Hux remembered it. However, it couldn’t have come as a bigger relief.  
    “Thannison.” Hux breathed, “Hi.”  
    “Yeah, hi.” She answered, a little thrown off by his tone. “I’ve got some good news.”  
    “My accounts are unfrozen?” Hux sat up in bed at the mere thought of having just a little bit of his old life back. He’d buy Kylo a surfboard.  
    “You kidding, kid? That’s not going to be for a while.” Hux sighed, “But I managed to talk to the cops into packing up your house and sending you what’s left.”  
    “I thought they took everything?”  
    “Not everything.” She answered vaguely. “I’ll email you the tracking number along with some information on the arraignment date. After that, depending on your actual charges, we’ll get trial and court dates.”  
    “Will I have to fly back to New York?”  
    “Yeah. Don’t worry, your parents are paying for it.” The line cut off when she finished her sentence and Hux sat in bed, frozen in fear. His parents.  
    In the whirlwind of getting out of the institution, breaking his ankle, meeting Ren, he’d completely forgotten about his other life. Well, not what had landed him here, but the life before that. The life he’d had before he’d destroyed it out of greed, and the selfish need to succeed.  
    There was no way he was getting back to sleep.  
————  
    Work that day was tough. Hux couldn’t keep his mind on any task and while neither Poe or Finn said anything about it, it was clear that they knew something was wrong. Ren said he couldn’t stop by till after he was done working on something, so Hux didn’t even have his antics to distract him.  
    He’d tricked himself into thinking that he could build a life here, with a small job and good friends, but he’d been wrong. His past would always haunt him, no matter how far he ran from it.  
    Suddenly, a loud crash sounded and Hux looked to see what had fallen. To his surprise, he realized the shattered plate was at his feet. He focused his eyes to see that his hands were shaking. He clenched them into fists and tried to take a steadying breath. A moment later, Hux had started working on the cleanup when Poe walked in.  
    “Hey, everything all right, man?”  
    Hux sighed and nodded, “Yeah. Sorry about this. I don’t know where my head’s at today.” /Contemplating my future existence in jail, perhaps/, he thought to himself.   
    “Don’t worry about it.” He squatted down to help him clear up the porcelain. “I hate these plates anyway. Don’t tell Finn though.” Hux  smiled absently causing Poe to clear his throat. “Seriously, are you ok?”  
    Hux looked up to meet Poe’s eyes. He found a level of sincerity there that he hadn’t expected. He wasn’t going to tell him the truth, he couldn’t, and he certainly wasn’t going to recite his past. So he settled, “ I’m just having some family issues.”  
    Poe nodded almost instantly, his face contorting into one of sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear that man. If you need to take some time off, don’t hesitate to ask.” He offered.  
    Hux hadn’t even thought about that. His lawyer had mentioned that he’d have to fly back to New York for the trials and what not. He’d need some time off. Another thought occurred to him: After the arraignment, would they let him go back to California? With all of these new thoughts buzzing around his head and raising his heart rate, Hux plastered on a shy smile and nodded, “Thank you, Poe. That’s really kind of you.” There was a twinge in the back of his mind caused by taking advantage of this great couple that had basically taken him in and made him apart of their odd group of friends. Hux vowed he’d make it up to him.  
    Poe smiled somehow wider, “Anything for Family, man.”  
    /Well, fuck/.  
————  
    It was after closing when Hux, Poe, and Finn heard a knock at the front door. They each locked at each other in confusion before Poe headed for the entrance. “Were you expecting anyone?” Hux asked Finn as they waited in the back train car, the one farthest away from the entrance.  
    “Nope.” Finn answered with a shrug.  
    “Look what I found.” Poe smiled as he made his way back to them flanked by Ren.  
    He waved lightly and smiled, “Sorry. I thought I’d make it back into town before closing.”  
    “You’re lucky we’re still here.” Poe slapped him lightly on his chest and Ren grinned.  
    “You guys are always here. This place is your baby.”  
    Finn smiled and threw an arm over Poe’s shoulders. “You got that right.” He leaned forward and kissed him chastely, but it was sweet. Hux couldn’t help but smile and look away, afraid he was intruding on some kind of moment between the two. “And, hopefully, in a couple of years, we might get a real one.”  
    Ren inhaled sharply, “What? You guys decided to do it?”  
    Finn nodded in excitement and Poe smiled. “Yep! We started looking through agencies and applications the other night. I’m so fucking excited.” Finn laughed.  
    Ren stepped forward with outstretched arms, “Hey! Watch your mouth. You can’t adopt a kid with that language.” He swept both men into a large, crushing bear hug. “I’m so happy for both of you.”  
    Hux, even though he’d had no prior knowledge, was happy for them too. If only because if anyone deserved to be parents in this world, it was Finn and Poe. Hux was positive they would do a great job. With a house full of love, how could you not?  
    “Congratulations.” Hux smiled at them. “I can’t wait to meet the little monster.”  
    Poe laughed, “You better be. We’ll need someone to stick around and pick up the slack around here.”  
    Hux laughed as well, “Oh, no way. You’re not leaving me to run this whole place by myself.”  
    “Maybe Kylo will help you.” Finn smiled and exchanged glances between the two. “Wouldn’t that be fun?” His tone was light and conversational but Hux instantly blushed and found an interesting speck on his sneakers.  
    Kylo laughed and leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. “Drive you home?”  
    Hux, in a good mood from the surprise announcement, nodding good - naturedly. “Sure. That would be great.” He turned to Finn and Poe, still stuck in their own world, “I’m gonna head home guys.”  
    “Yeah, all right.” Poe smiled.  
    “See you tomorrow, Hux, Ren.” Finn beamed at them.  
    Hux giggled as Ren practically attacked him with his lips as soon as they were clear of the front door. “Ren, what’s gotten into you?”  
    Ren smiled as he leaned against the car, hands outstretched to grab Hux’s waist and drag him back against his body with him. “Nothing. I just missed you today.”  
    Hux pulled away, but only slightly, “Oh did you?” He teased. In truth, he’d missed Ren today too. “What were you doing that kept you away from me then?”  
    Ren smiled, “Getting some art supplies, running errands. I had a commission that I had to deliver upstate.” His smile grew, “I also had a meeting with the director of an art gallery.”  
    “Really Kylo?” Hux’s eyes widened, “Do they want your stuff?”  
    “Yeah, they’re looking at buying some pieces.” Ren seemed to not even believe it himself. “It’s completely unexpected, and this is a great gallery. Really respectable place. I don’t even know how I did it.” He chuckled.  
    Hux brought his arms up from Ren’s grasp to cup his face in both hands as he leaned forward to kiss him. “It’s because you’re a great artist. I’m so very happy for you, Kylo.” He kissed him again, trying to impart those words to him.  
    Ren’s arms tightened around his waist, pulling him forward, and crushing his body against his. Ren’s lips were moving passionately, deepening the kiss, biting Hux’s bottom lip to ask for entrance. Hux gave it to him with a satisfied moan. Ren pulled away seconds after to lean his forehead against Hux’s. “I’m very sure,” Ren breathed heavily, there was a flush high up on his cheeks, “that Finn and Poe don’t want us making out in their parking lot.”  
    “You never know.” Hux chuckled, breathless as well, “More people are voyeurs than you think.”  
    Ren laughed out right at that one. “Come on, kinkster. Let’s get you home.”  
    “Kylo,” Hux watched Ren buckle his seatbelt and start the engine, “What if I don’t want to go home?”  
    Ren looked over at him briefly before turning back to the road, “Ok, where do you want to go instead?”  
    Hux first his heartbeat in his fingertips. He took a silent breath to calm himself before saying, “Yours.”  
    Ren looked over at him sharply before seeming to remember that he was driving a car. “Oh, ok.” His breath was shallow, choppy, “I can do that.”  
    The drive to Ren’s house only took about twelve minutes. Hux realized why Ren was at the diner so much, it was the closest restaurant to him. His neighborhood was a sandy street with wide properties and large homes facing the beach. Hux could hear the soft roar of the waves crashing into the beach through the open window. He could smell the saltwater as he opened his door and Ren came around to greet him.  
    “So, it’s not your traditional house, but it’s mine.” He seemed nervous.  
    “Kylo, I’m sure I’ll love it.” He turned towards the property they’d parked in front of. There were bushes and small trees lining the property, but Hux couldn’t see anything beyond that. It was oddly dark. He turned back to face Kylo, “You didn’t bring me out here to kill me, right?”  
    He laughed, a slight huff, “No, of course not. Follow me.” He held out his hand to guide Hux towards the path that he clearly could see.  
    “You should put some lights out.” Hux added conversationally.  
    “Nah, it makes it easier to abduct people - oh shit! Did I say that out loud?” He smirked.   
    “Ha ha.” Hux deadpanned, “Seriously, how much further?”  
    “Shh, we’re here, Gingersnap.”  
    Hux looked up from watching his footing on the walking path dug into the sand, but all he could see was beach and ocean. Until he turned his head toward the corner of the lot and saw a small building in the shape of a storage container with a roof addition. But it didn’t /look/ like a storage container. It looked like a miniature house, grayish blue siding, white trim, and all.  
    “Wait, I’ve seen these before.” He turned toward Ren with a wide grin on his face. “You, the seven foot giant, live in a Tiny House?” He couldn’t contain his glee.  
    “Oh, shut up.” Ren rolled his eyes but smiled and pulled him towards the large stones that led toward the front door. “Watch your step, please. I don’t want to talk you back to the hospital.”  
    “It was your fault the first time.” Hux was still very much amused at Ren’s living quarters, but the more he thought about it and hobbled along thereat paved stones pushed into the sand, the more he realized that this was definitely a place for Ren. There was a little front porch, three concrete steps leading up to a very nice wooden door. Ren seemed to collect himself with a deep breath before opening it and stepping back for Hux to step in first.  
    Hux was genuinely surprised at how upscale the whole place was. He could see everything from the front door: A small L - shaped couch, benches tucked beneath a table for eating, a galley kitchen with plenty of storage and a full size refrigerator the rest neath stairs that also looked like they doubled as shelving. The door was closed to what he presumed was the bathroom and the stairs led up to a loft bedroom with a queen size bed. Above his own head was another small storage loft where had Ren tucked boxes full of God knowns what against the wall. There were wooden countertops and floors, a small two by two gas range stove with an oven, even a clean, white farm sink. He couldn’t have imagine a storage container looking like this.  
    “Wow, Ren, it looks great.” He finally took a step inside after taking in the place. He could tell Ren had been here for awhile, a couple of floorboards creaked, the couch had clearly been slept on several times, but it was clean and felt like home.  
    “Thank you.” Ren was blushing but he was trying to hide it with his curtain of hair. “Can I make you some tea?” He took the few steps to the stove in one and filled a teapot with water. Hux watched him and was surprised that he could walk around without hitting his head on the loft above him.  
    “Yes, thank you.” Hux pulled out one of the benches beneath the table and took a seat. “Did you build this yourself?” He figured he’d gotten the idea from Finn and Poe’s restaurant.  
    “Uh, kind of. I found it online. It had already been renovated into a tiny house but it was old and didn’t really fit my look. I decided to gut everything except the cabinets and the bathroom and start over.”  
    Hux was thoroughly impressed and told Ren so as he brought their mugs full of water. “It’s really impressive. Like really impressive.” He gave an awkward laugh. “I would never have even thought about it.” He was still looking around, “But, can I ask you something?”  
    Ren nodded immediately, “Sure.”  
    “Why not just buy a house? I mean you have enough money to buy an old fire station. A house shouldn’t be that much more. Less, probably.”  
    Ren shrugged, “I didn’t need to.”  
    Hux sipped his tea, “What do you mean?”  
    “Well, I had graduated college, didn’t have basically any possessions because i’d been living in the dorms all four years. I thought about getting an apartment but I didn’t want to waste that much money monthly, but I was alone. I didn’t need the space. So I started looking at alternatives. I found this guy on the internet, and the rest is history.”  
    “You don’t ever miss it?”  
    “What?” Ren cocked an eyebrow, “The stuff? Hell no. I’ve got everything I need. If I can’t find a place for it in here, I don’t need it.” Hux could admit there was beauty in the simplistic nature of it all. “Hell, I live on a beach, Hux.” Ren laughed, “What could be better than this?”  
    Ren chuckled, “The first few weeks it was a little odd. I had to go through things I didn’t need. I kept forgetting to duck under the shower curtain when I took a shower.” Hux smiled at the visual. “It took a minute to get used to, but now I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”  
    “I truly love the efficiency of it. The stairs doubling as storage space is great.”  
    “You do love efficiency and organization.” Ren smiled at him.  
    “And is that such a bad thing?” He feigned offense.  
    “Nope.” Ren shook his head happily, “It’s a Hux thing.”  
    Hux rolled his eyes, finishing the rest of his tea in one gulp. “You’re insufferable.”  
    “Mmm,” Ren leaned forward on the table to press his lips to Hux’s, “You like it.”  
    He sighed and chuckled into the kiss, “That’s what you think.”  
    “Ooh feisty.” Ren laughed.  
    “Shut up and kiss me.”  
    “With pleasure.” Ren’s mouth closed over his again, and for a moment, both were lost in their own little world. Ren pulled back and stood up, offering his hand to Hux. “Come on, it’s more comfortable over there.” He gestured towards the navy blue couch.  
    “Why, Kylo, are you trying deflower my innocence?” Hux grabbed his hand, allowing Ren to lead him towards the couch and his lap. Hux straddled his lap easily, letting his boot hit the floor a little harshly.  
    “Innocence.” Ren snorted as he settled his hands on Hux’s thighs. “That’s rich.”  
    Hux chuckled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ren’s lips were kissing down his chin, finding sensitive spots on his neck that made his toes tingle. He angled his head so Ren could have more access.  
    “Then allow me to show you.” Ren mumbled against Hux’s neck as his hands slid slowly from his thighs to his ass. Hux took it upon himself to lean forward, cupping Kylo’s jaw with his hands, and bring their lips together. Just like their first kiss, Hux felt shivers travel down his spine, his stomach flipped, he all about lost his mind at just the feeling of Kylo’s mouth on his. He could barely imagine what the rest of his body would feel like.  
    Hux pulled away slightly to breath. His lips rested on Kylo’s as he talked lowly, “I do like the way you show me things.”  
    Kylo chuckled, deep in his throat, “I figured you would.” Ren’s hands tightened their grips on his ass. Hux visibly shivered and made a small noise. He nuzzled his nose against Hux’s cheek, his eyelashes brushing against his skin, “Let me . . .?”  
    The question floated in the air, open ended, and Hux could do nothing more than make an affirmative noise and twist a hand into Kylo’s hair. He got the gist though and started to kiss his way down Hux’s cheek and chin, leaving open mouthed kisses down to the collar of his shirt. “Do we . . ?” Hux hesitated, looking up towards the loft bed.  
    Ren followed his gaze before continuing to place kisses on exposed skin. “Do you think you can make it up the stairs?”  
    Hux chuckled, “With this fancy new walking boot? Sure.” He didn’t know if he actually could or not, but Ren would help him, and if they were going to go for this, he wanted their first time to be on a bed, not on the couch. He was classy like that.  
    Ren pulled away to smirk at him, “If you can make it without yourself, absolutely.”  
    Hux’s eyes sparked at the challenge, “Watch me.” Ren scoffed and laughed.  
    “My competitive little Gingersnap.”  
    “Hey.” Hux snapped, pointing a finger at him, “Who said I was yours?”  
    “My staircase that you’re climbing up.” He smirked.  
    Hux sighed and turned to look at said staircase. He knew walking straight up would be a little trouble since it curved slightly, the stairs were very narrow, and then he’d have to fuck when he was farther up to avoid hitting the ceiling. He turned around and flipped Ren off when he finally realized what he was going to do.  
    He hobbled towards the stairs before turning and planting his ass on the one right behind his knees. With a satisfied smirk, he lifted himself up onto the next step with his arms and uninjured leg. He looked stupid, but his foot never touched the ground and he never lost his balance. When he was firmly sitting at the top of the stairs, Ren clapped for him.  
    “Bravo! I knew you had it in you.”  
    Hux’s shoulders shook with laughter, “Whatever. Just get up here,” He smirked, “I want something else in me.”  
    Ren snorted and his eyes widened, “Was that a sex joke, Mr. Hux?” He started to climb the stairs, ending up on his knees when he reached the top. “I’m the one that’s supposed to make the sex jokes around here.” He leaned forward and kissed Hux who was still sitting on the floor beside the mattress.  
    “Well, roles can change can’t they?”  
    “They sure can.” Ren deepens the kiss by sliding his tongue into Hux’s mouth in one smooth swipe, but he pulled away all too quickly. “Bed,” He mumbled.  
    Hux nodded quickly and slid along the floor towards the head of the bed before climbing up onto it. The mattress was firm, but had one of those fancy pillow toppers on it that made Hux sink into the fabric. It felt like sitting on a cloud. A really, really dense cloud. He didn’t have too much time to think about that, however, because the moment his ass was on the bed, Ren was pushing him to lie against the pillows. Hux’s smiled as he resettled against the pillows, looking up into Ren’s eyes. “You gonna kiss me, or what?”  
    Ren chuckled and leaned down to brush his lips against Hux’s, “I was thinking about it.” He kissed him lightly, pulling away all too soon, “But then you wanted to be a smart ass, so I’m not so sure.”  
    Hux chuckled softly and reached up to sink his fingers into Ren’s dark hair, “Oh shut up.” He pulled him down and their lips met again for a deeper kiss.  
    “Slow down,” Ren pulled away, breathing stuttering, “Let’s take our time.” He leaned down to kiss Hux again a little slower. Ren had been right. As he sunk into the kiss, he knew that he wanted this to last as long as possible.  
    They kissed leisurely, the tension building as the minutes passed, as Hux slid his hand along Ren’s waist. The fabric of his shirt was soft and slid between Hux’s fingers easily as he slipped his fingers beneath it. A small moan slipped from Ren’s mouth as he felt Hux’s fingers on his bare skin.  
    Ren couldn’t help but pull away from their kiss, “You don’t know how long i’ve waited for this.” He murmured into his skin as his lips grazed along his chin, down his neck with warm, open mouthed kisses.  
    Hux titled his head back, exposing more of his neck for him. “Probably as long as I have.” He whispered breathily. He slid his hand along Ren’s back as he moved lower down his body.  
    Ren moaned again in response to Hux arching into the feeling of Ren’s lips on his collarbone. “I doubt that.” He met Hux’s eyes with a heated look. “Gingersnap, you’ve been on my mind for awhile.”  
    Hux gave a breathy laugh as his eyes slipped close, “Then show me what you think about.”  
    Ren gave a small bite to his shoulder, “With pleasure.” Ren’s hands moved beneath Hux’s shirt as his lips continued to kiss the freckles on his shoulder. Hux pushed himself up slightly so Ren could yank his shirt off. Hux tried not to wince as his shirt hit the floor, but quickly focused back on Ren as his lips found one of his nipples. Hux gasped, pushing into his warm mouth and stroking his hair with timid fingers.  
    Hux’s head was swimming, lost in the feeling of Ren’s warmth and power. Since everything had happened, the police raid, the hospital stay, he hadn’t been intimate with another person, hell he hadn’t been ‘intimate’ with himself. Nothing had sparked an interest in him, nothing had moved him like this large man with a strange name who believed in the good things in the world and lived in a tiny house on the beach. Nothing had prepared him for it either.  
    Ren’s hands felt like a brush fire, burning at his skin, tearing him apart at the seams. Making him beg for more. “Kylo,” Hux gasped, “Don’t stop.”  
    Ren’s lips crossed his hips, leaving small kisses and bite marks and making Hux’s heart stutter. He left one last kiss before crawling back over the man and kissing his lips. “I’m gonna need to stop for a minute.”  
    “What?” Hux gasped lightly, “Why?”  
    “Because I need to take your pants off.”  
    “I thought that was the point?” Hux was confused.  
    Ren laughed, “Yeah, but it might kill the mood a little. I need to take your boot off first.”  
    Hux’s eyes closed as he sighed and let his head fall back against the pillows. “Fuck this boot.”  
    Ren chuckled and kissed the side of his face. “It’ll only take a moment. Tell me if anything hurts.” He lowered himself down his body again and started pulling at the velcro straps. When the boot was free of his foot, Hux tried to help him by lifting his foot as much as possible as Ren unbuckled his jeans and pulled them off his injured leg first. He left them trailed around Hux’s thigh as he worked the boot back onto his foot before pulling his jeans off entirely.  
    “See? Not that bad.” Ren smiled at a blushing Hux. Hux groaned and raised both of his hands to cover his face.  
    “This is so embarrassing.” He mumbled.  
    “Hardly.” Ren shushed him, crawling up the bed to lie beside him. His warm hand slid up Hux’s body, tickling his waist, until he stopped to pull at his nipple. Hux held in the gasp, but his body reacted anyway. His nippled hardened, his back arched into the feeling, every one of his actions screamed that he wanted more but his hands still covered his face.  
    “Don’t play ‘hard to get’ with me.” Ren teased before reaching up and running his thumb along the back of Hux’s hands. “Do you still want to do this, Gingersnap?” Ren asked quietly, his thumb never ceasing its’ movements.  
    Hux let out a soft sigh, “Yes.”  
    When Hux didn’t follow that up with anything, he continued, “Then why the hands, Huxey?”  
    Hux scoffed, “Huxey? Really?” His hands finally dropped to roll his eyes at Ren.  
    “There are my favorite green eyes.” He smiled down at him. “What’s wrong?”  
    “Nothing.” Hux answered almost instantly.  
    Ren continued to soothe him, “Then what’s with the peek - a - boo act?” Another soft laugh from Hux. He was making progress.  
    “Nothing. I just -“ Hux sighed and finally looked up at him. “I just wanted this to be really nice and then my stupid foot had to go and ruin it.”  
    “Hey, that didn’t ruin anything. I’m still right here. You’re still unbelievably sexy and attractive.” He leaned down and kissed him hesitantly. Hux responded to the kiss, another good sing. “And I still want you. Do you still want me?” Hux nodded and pushed his chin up for another kiss, which Kylo gave freely. When he pulled away again, he asked, “Should I take that as a yes?” Hux nodded, a small smile on his face, as he moved his arms around Ren’s body again.  
    “Definitely yes.” His cheeks were still on fire, but he wanted to push past it, if only to feel Ren’s hands on him again.  
    Ren smiled and kissed him deeply. He pulled away to move along his jaw and pull at his ear with gentle teeth, “If you /do/ feel like you want to stop, will you tell me?”  
    It wasn’t like that sentence was sexy, far from it, but it still sent a thrill through his stomach. “I will. I promise.” With his answer, Ren continued with his kisses and Hux’s body responded in turn. Hux pulled at Ren’s shirt, pulling the soft material above his head and moving it aside. “Come here.” He whispered to Ren. He moved up over him and Hux pulled him into a biting kiss. Hux lifted his leg to wrap it around Ren’s waist tightly and he lowered an arm to grasp it.  
    “Be careful, Gingersnap.”  
    “I don’t want to be careful.” Hux muttered into the kiss.  
    “I know you don’t. But, am I right in thinking that you might not have done this in a while?” He spoke the question quietly, not wanting to embarrass him again. Hux’s cheeks flared with beautiful red roses, but he didn’t pull away. Ren took that as confirmation, “Then let me take this slow, and careful. I don’t want to hurt you.”  
    “I want you to hurt me.” Hux pouted.  
    Ren bit lightly at his bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth gently, “Maybe next time.”  
    The pout was replaced by a rather sappy looking smile, “There’s going to be a next time?” He asked shyly. Hux’s hands slid down Ren’s waist, gripping at the belt loops of his jeans and trying to pull him closer between his legs.  
    “If you let me.” Ren promised. “Let me take care of you.”  
    Hux nodded, desperately trying to pull him closer, “Please.” It had been a /long/ time since anyone had wanted to take care of him. An even longer one since he’d let them. But with everything that had happened, and Ren being unlike anyone he’d ever met, he couldn’t help but feel like it was time. He couldn’t help but feel like Ren might be the one to help him.  
    Ren was very happy to be that person for Hux and he nodded eagerly, pressing their bodies together again and determined to leave several marks on Hux’s pale skin. Skin so pale even the California sun couldn’t do damage to it.  
    Hux tossed his head back, moaned lightly with a quivering voice, “Ren, please.” Hux pushed his hips up into Ren’s body.  
    Ren got the message loud and clear and moved a hand to unbuckle his own jeans and kick them off his legs, being careful to avoid Hux’s foot. “Can you reach over there for me?”  
    Hux’s breathing stuttered as he looked on either side of the bed, vision blurring with lust, “What? Over where?”  
    “Sorry. Nightstand. There’s lube and condoms in the box in the bottom drawer.” Ren pulled his jeans off finally and moved towards Hux’s underwear. He played with the edges as Hux leaned over and grabbed the aforementioned materials and brought them back to their side. When he was relaxed again, Ren pulled at the elastic of his waistband and slid it down his hips. Ren kissed at his hips, the tops of his thighs, the head of his erect cock lying against his hips.  
    Hux lied very still, one of his hands fallen towards his side to grip the blanket in his fist, as Ren explored his body with his tongue. His breath hitched with every new kiss on soft skin and his hand tightened with each new love bite.  
    “So sensitive for me.” Ren whispered against his hips. “Relax, baby. Sit back and enjoy it.” Hux tried to do as he was asked, tried to enjoy it, but it all felt so good, and it was hard to let Ren move without pulling him back to his lips.  
    “I can’t,” He practically begged, “You feel too good.”  
    Ren nodded, “Then let me speed this up.” He dropped his head and pulled Hux’s cock into his mouth. Hux’s head fell back against the pillow and he moaned loudly at the sudden overwhelming feeling of pleasure. Ren worked him to full hardness before pulling off with swollen lips and obscene string of spit dripping from them. “Can you hand me the lube, Gingersnap?”  
    Hux let out a shuttering breath before even understanding the question. When he did, one hand went towards the lube, while the other wove itself into Ren’s hair to push it away from his eyes. “You can have anything you want.” Hux promised, “I will literally give you the passwords to my bank accounts.” He breathed.  
    Ren chuckled and popped the cap on the lube, “Now, let’s not go getting too far ahead of ourselves.” He poured a small amount of lube onto his fingers before spreading them around. “But we’ll talk after I finish with you.” Hux laughed breathlessly as he watched him. “Spread your legs for me, please.”  
    Hux did as he asked and Ren moved between his knees to kiss the insides of his thighs. Hux pulled his bottom lip into his mouth as he moaned, his eyes never leaving Ren’s face. Ren gave him a heated look before reaching for his ass with a lube covered finger and pressing it against his hole. Hux gasped and closed his eyes. His hips bucked under Ren’s grasp as he slowly teased him with light pressure.  
    “Don’t fuck with me, Ren.” Hux ground out in pure frustration.  
    Ren chuckled, gave a small bite to his thigh, “That’s exactly what I plan to do, Armie.” Hux sighed, his breath hitching as Ren pushed the finger into him. It started to slide in and out of him easily, easier than Hux would have believed with the length of time that had passed. But before he knew it, Ren was on two fingers and Hux was spreading his legs and hitching his hips to try and get more of Ren inside of him. “/Fuck./” Ren whispered as his fingers scissored inside of the older man. “I can’t wait to be inside you.”  
    “Then why /are/ you?” Hux gasped as a surge of pleasure wracked his body.  
    “Because I need to spread you open. I don’t want to hurt you, you know that.” Ren seemed to be struggling to breathe himself.  
    Hux moaned loudly before having a strange surge of confidence and reaching down to pull Ren’s face up by his hair, “Ren, if you don’t fuck me, I’m going to do it myself.”  
    Ren seemed to glow at the idea, but shook his head quickly with a kiss to his thighs, “Yes, sir.” He answered emphatically. He pushed up onto his knees, giving Hux a brilliant view of his erection through the briefs he was wearing. Large, was an understatement. Hux was /thrilled/, and yet nervous at the same time. But either way, he still very much wanted this.  
    Ren slid his underwear down his legs quickly and grabbed the condom to rip it open with his teeth. Despite himself, Hux couldn’t help but give him a tiny chuckle, “That was cute.”  
    “Cute?” Ren scoffed as he fixed the condom over himself. “It’s not supposed to be cute.” He grabbed some extra lube and stroked himself.  
    “The eagerness and goofy smile set you back a little.” Hux smiled. Ren laughed before letting himself fall over Hux. He braced himself on one hand and slid the other one between Hux’s leg to line himself up. Ren kissed his lips softly, pulling away and leaning his forehead against Hux’s. “You can still say no at any time.” Ren reminded him. “I’ll stop if it’s too much.”  
    Hux nodded against his cheek, “I know. I trust you. Just -“ Hux sighed and kissed his face, “Just do it.”  
    Ren pushed inside him slowly, being careful to not many any sudden movements, although the urge to bury himself deep inside Hux was incredibly high. He controlled himself though, settling just inside the man until he was comfortable with the stretch. Although Hux never thought he would be. Ren filled him like no one else ever had. He felt like he was being torn apart from the inside, something he’d never wanted to happen so badly until now. Hux took a few deep breaths, before chuckling at both the intense pleasure and pain, “A little more than your fingers.”  
    Ren nodded, smiling softly, “Yeah, a little bigger than my fingers. Are you ok?”  
    Hux nodded, “Yeah, yes. I’m good.” He raised an arm to settled his hand on Ren’s bicep. “You can move, it’s ok.”  
    It was tentative at first, but Ren slid further into him with a smooth deep motion. Hux clutched at his muscles as the pleasure mounted above the pain and he moaned. Ren took the encouragement in stride and started a slow but steady pace that left them both holding in noises as they avoided giving into the pleasure. Hux broke first. He looked up to see Ren hovering over him, biting his lips so much the skin around his teeth had turned startlingly white, with such a deep look of pleasure on his face that Hux couldn’t take it any more.  
    “More,” He pleased, “More, please.” His nails dug into Ren’s bicep in an attempt to pull him closer. Ren nodded shakily and started to move a little faster. “Yes, fuck yes, Kylo.” Hux was determined to keep his eyes open for as long as possible and was rewarded for his efforts with the looks on Ren’s face. Hux reached up and pulled him down to his mouth. Ren’s hips stuttered in surprise, but he kept fucking him as their tongues slid along each other’s.  
    They broke apart when Ren hit a particular spot inside him that had Hux moaning loudly without abandon. Ren kissed his chin, muttering praises into his skin, “So good for me. That’s right, yell for me, Armie.” And yell he did. Hux called out for him with each deep thrust and Ren responded by moving faster.  
    It was blindingly gratifying and for a solid two minutes Hux couldn’t even remember his own name. He could only remember Ren’s, and how amazing his cock was. He babbled, trying to tell him so, but was stopped every time by another deep thrust. He wasn’t going to last much longer. “Fuck, Ren, you’ve got to marry me.”  
    Ren stuttered, his hips stalling in pure surprise and humor. He looked down at Hux’s blissed out face and nodded while he laughed, “Sure, baby, I’ll marry you.” He shook his head and leaned down to kiss him as he started to fuck him again. “I’ll give you whatever you want, Gingersnap.”  
    “Fuck me harder,” Hux gasped, completely unaware of his proposal, “God, I’m so close, Kylo. Please.” Ren pushed himself up and pulled Hux’s uninjured leg against his chest. Hux cried out as Ren angled towards his prostate.  
    “That’s it,” Ren moaned. He reached down with his free hand to wrap it around Hux’s leaking cock. “I want you to come with me baby. I know you’re ready, squeezing on me so hard like that, /fuck./” Ren had started mumbling to himself as his hips lost their stride. Hux’s hand fisted the sheets as he was overwhelmed with stimulation. He came with a loud yell, arching into Kylo, and squeezing around him tightly. Kylo managed to fuck him for a few more strides before losing himself deep inside the other man.  
    Seconds passed full of heavy breathing, before Kylo was able to pull out of him. When he did, he kissed him gently and flopped down onto the bed beside him, the mattress bouncing slightly beneath them. They both attempted to calm their racing hearts and filter through the post - sex haze. “That was the best sex i’ve ever had.” Hux stated, still breathless.  
    “Yeah, I’d agree with you.” Kylo pushed some sweat damp locks of his hair out of his eyes.  
    A few more minutes passed in silence. Hux’s head tilted slightly as he pushed himself up on his elbows to look down at the other man, “Did I ask you to marry me?”  
    Kylo grinned, “Yeah.”  
    “What did you say?” Hux questioned, still hazy with lust.  
    “Yes.” Kylo laughed.  
    Hux nodded slowly and dropped back onto the bed, “Well I hope you’re not expecting a ring. I’m broke as shit.”  
    Kylo laughed and turned to cuddle into Hux’s neck. “I can wait a couple of years.” Hux couldn’t help but laugh.


	6. Week Six

    “What’s that on your neck?” Poe’s loud, teasing voice was accompanied by a sharp poke to the spot in question.  
    Hux’s cheeks flared as he tried to duck away from him. “Cut it out, Poe.” Finn, thankfully, came to his rescue. “We all know where he got those.” He smirked. Hux sighed, and then again maybe not.  
    “Leave me alone,” He swatted at their fingers but couldn’t help but let a small smile escape. He couldn’t help it, the two were just too goodnatured to hate for long. Which, of course, Hux just added to the list of things he hated about them.  
    “Fine.” Poe threw up his hands in surrender, “But I just want you to know that I’m officially offended that I didn’t get all of the smokey details.”  
    Hux scoffed, “Right. Well when you give me the details about Finn, then I’ll pass along my own.” He rolled his eyes.  
    Poe’s smiled turned downright mischievous as he stepped closer to him, “Well, since you asked, Finn makes this sound when I -“  
    “Ahhhhhhhhh no!” Finn ran towards him and slapped a hand over his mouth.  
    Hux busted out laughing, “Does it sound like that?” He quipped before husking his head and leaving the couple to their marital disputes.  
————  
    Hux received an email at the beginning of the week from Thannison, his lawyer. Just like she’d promised, there was a tracking number for all of his more innocent possessions and an arraignment date. It was later this week. Hux sat on the edge of his bed and sighed, his hands running down his face. He was going to have to tell Ren something, he couldn’t just leave. But on the other hand he’d already told Poe and Finn that he was having family issues and Ren would believe that. Of course, he’d ask about it. Hux was getting pretty used to living a life without feeling the need to lie or manipulate everyone around him. Lying to Finn and Poe was one thing, but Ren, Ren was something different, wasn’t he? Hux couldn’t help but feel a disgusting feeling slip into his stomach.  
    A knock on his door startled him, skyrocketing his heart rate and making him jump. He limped towards the door, and sighed when he peeked through the door and saw Ren’s easy grin on the other side. He opened it slowly, “Yes, Ren?”  
    “Hey Gingersnap.” He lifted a hand and waved.  
    Hux couldn’t help but laugh, “What are you doing here? How’d you even find my room?” He was unconsciously hiding the room from Ren’s view with his body and the door.  
    “I asked the weird guy at the front desk.” Ren smirked, “I think he has a crush on you.”  
    Hux laughed, “Shut up, dork.” Ren smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. Hux hummed into the kiss, his hand rising to Ren’s chest. “What are you doing here?” Hux asked again a little softer.  
    “I was wondering if you’d like to get some lunch with me. I know it’s your day off.”  
    Hux smiled, “Yeah, Ren, I’d love to. Give me a minute?” He asked a little hesitantly.  
    Ren stepped back from the door, “Of course.”  
    Hux smiled and left the door open slightly as he went inside and grabbed a pair of shorts from the drawer and a nice blue shirt from the closet. He didn’t have too many options these days, nothing compared to the closet full of designer suits he’d had in his old life, but enough to get him by on dates. He changed quickly in the bathroom and expected to find his nosy date in his room when he got out but was pleasantly surprised to find him still waiting outside. “Thank you for waiting for me.” Hux pushed himself up on his toes and kissed his cheek.  
    “Yeah. I’m a lot more patient than you think.”  
    “Well that’s just a lie.” Hux laughed, pushing him playfully causing Ren to laugh too.  
    “I had to give it a try.” Ren smirked before asking, “How’s your foot?”  
    “Good, I barely feel it any more.” Now /that/was a lie. For the past week, the pain seemed to be spreading. While it had started at his foot, there was now a dull throbbing spreading through his body and sinking into his heart. Hux had gone to the doctor, without Ren, to get it checked but they said everything had been fine. He’d run out of medication last week and was just trying to keep it at bay with over the counter anti-inflammatories. But if Ren knew, his overprotective ass would throw a fit. “I want this bloody boot off though.”  
    Ren wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning down to kiss the top of his head, as they made their way through the parking lot to his car. “In time, Gingersnap, in time.”  
    “I would love for time to speed up.” Hux muttered as Ren opened the car door for him. As he said the sentence though, he thought about the future arraignment, leaving Ren, and going back to see his family, and really wish that time would move in the opposite direction.  
    “Unfortunately, time moves at it’s own pace.” Ren answered wisely as he climbed into the car. “Let’s go someplace special today.”  
    Hux looked over at him, “We aren’t going to the Stardust?”  
    “It’s your day off. Do you really want to go back?” Ren questioned, “I can take you if you’d like.”  
    “No, no. You’re in charge.” Hux smiled, “I’ll go wherever you want me to.”  
    “Well that opens up a world of possibilities.”  
    “Ok, I meant for lunch.” Hux laughed. “Slow down there, tiger.”  
    “Damn. I thought this was going to get freaky.” Ren added playfully. “There’s this restaurant by the warehouse that I go to when I’m down there and don’t feel like driving back.”  
    “Really? I pegged you as the guy that only ate at one diner and never went anywhere else.” He teased.  
    “There’s a certain ginger at my main diner, but,” Ren looked over at him with a smile at the stoplight. “He seems to like to travel.”  
    Hux reached over and grabbed Ren’s hand, “Only with you.” Ren smiled back at him and continued driving. The entire rest of the way, Hux wondered how he was going to tell Ren that he was leaving. When Ren finally stopped the car, Hux still hadn’t come up with an answer, but he knew anything would be better than the truth.  
    “So, it’s a family Italian place. You should really like it.” Ren commented as he helped him from the car and walked him inside.  
    Hux smiled a little distractedly, “I’m sure I’ll love it, Ren.” The taller man led them into the restaurant and they were seated after a small wait. Kylo smiled at him as he raised the menu and looked it over. Hux tried to reciprocate, but he felt like he wasn’t doing the best job. If he didn’t say anything, Ren was going to notice something.  
    The waitress came and offered them drinks before saying that she would be right back to take their orders. Hux figured now was as good a time as any. “Hey, Kylo?”  
    “What’s up, Huxey?” Ren dropped his menu onto the table and smiled at him.  
    “I have to leave later this week.”  
    “Ok.” Ren nodded easily, “Where are you going?”  
    “Back home.” Hux lied, internally wincing. “My family is a little worried. I’m leaving Tuesday night and I’ll be back by Friday.”  
    “Are you going to be okay?” Ren watched him, a serious expression on his face. “Seeing them?”  
    Hux sighed, “I honestly don’t know, but I’ve already bought the ticket.” Hux shrugged, “I’ve got to go.”  
    Ren nodded slowly, “Alright. But if you need me, call me, ok?”  
    Hux laughed at the sentiment, feeling how much Ren cared from across the table, “Ren, I see you everyday. I don’t have your phone number.”  
    Ren laughed when he realized that, “Ok, fine, gimme.” He held his hand out and Hux passed over his phone. After a few seconds, he passed it back. “Ok, so now, you can call me if you need me.” He chuckled.  
    Hux took the phone back with a small smile, “And why would I need you, Ren?”  
    Kylo smiled, “If things get a little too overwhelming, you can pick up the phone and i’ll answer.”  
    “I’d like that.” Hux answered reluctantly, knowing how terrible his family could be. “But how do you know you’ll pick up?”  
    “Hux.” Kylo said earnestly, “I’ll pick up.”  
————  
    Kylo’s words were ringing in his ears as Hux boarded the plane at six Tuesday night. He hadn’t been on an airplane in a while and the anxiety alone had his foot aching a dual throbbing sensation that ran through his entire body. But he made it. With thoughts of Ren, Finn, Poe, the diner, the beach, he made it.  
    But when he stepped off the plan in New York, it all came flooding back to him. The high, the drop, the plane ride to California, the impending arraignment and court case. His fingers stated to shake.  
    “Armitage? Armi!”  
    Hux turned around at the sound of his name and an easy smile came over his face as he looked back at his own reflection. “Hey, Techie.” Hux walked forward and wrapped his arms around his twin brother, “Long time, no see.”  
    “Armitage, how have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you. No one has your number. Your lawyer won’t give it to us either. What’s been going on? I can’t -“  
    “Shhh,” Hux chuckled, “Shh, Tech, we’ll talk later all right? Right now let’s just get out of here.”  
    Egan ‘Techie’ Hux smiled, “Yeah, alright. You checked a bag?”  
    “Mhm, it should be coming out now.” Hux kept an arm around his shoulder and led him towards the luggage carousal. “I’m glad that you’re the one to pick me up. I don’t know what I would’ve done if it was Siobhan.”  
    “Shit, or Moira.” Techie laughed. “Can you believe what our dear older stepsister would say about your hair?”  
    Hux unconsciously ran his hand through his un - gelled hair. He’d been growing it out ever since he left rehab. Well, not really growing it out, but not exactly maintaining it either. That was basically a sin in the Hux household. He was bound to get some hell for it when he got to the house but right now he wasn’t focused on that. Besides, it felt great when Ren ran his hands through it.  
    “I don’t know.” Hux shrugged, watching the carousel start to move and random luggage being kicked out. “I kind of like it.”  
    Egan looked at him with a strange smile. “I do too. It looks good on you. Well,” He smirked, “it looks good on me.”  
    “Oh stop. You’ve been pulling the same twin jokes since we were six.”  
    “And you still laugh.” Egan rebutted.  
    Hux nodded, a small smile on his lips. His brother was right about that. As he spotted his luggage, he stepped forward to grab it. “So what’s been going on with you? Still dating Cindy?” He threw the duffle bag over his shoulder and started heading towards the exit.  
————  
    The street was the same as he remembered. Large trees, perfectly manicured lawns, upstate New York was beautiful, but filled with regret and bad memories. A perfect bed of bright blue flowers wasn’t going to change that. But his brother held his hand as they drove down the horrid street, squeezed it lightly before pulling up to the house and getting out of the car. “Are you ready?’  
    He gripped the duffle bag tightly against his shoulder and tried to ease some itching on his injured foot. “Will I ever be?”  
    Egan chuckled lightly, “Probably not, no.”  
    “Well then, let’s get it over with.” Hux sighed before limping forward and opening the front door of his childhood home.  
    It was quiet, blindingly clean, and devoid of any character, just the way he’d remembered it. As soon as he’d graduated high school and was no longer required to step foot in that house, he hadn’t. When his parents had insisted on meeting, he’d suggested they go to a restaurant or golf club instead and it seemed they hadn’t minded. He avoided looking at the wall of family photos as he followed Egan towards the kitchen where they heard quiet voices.  
    Egan pushed the swinging kitchen door open and the twins were met with a shrill voice, “Well look what the cat dragged in.” The eldest Hux child was perched on a barstool sipping a glass of wine while she flipped through a magazine.  
    “Moira.” Hux nodded in her direction. “Pleasure to see you again.”  
    She scoffed, rolling her deep brown eyes, “And, God’s above, look at that hair! It’s terrible.”  
    “Much like your personality, yes.” Hux responded without a second thought. There was a chuckle of laughter from the kitchen table and hux headed towards that instead of watching Moira’s glare turn harder by the second. Carlin, one of the youngest, was sitting at the table doing homework. She was in her last year of high school, Hux thought he remembered. “How are you, dear?” He smiled softly at her as he bent down and kissed her cheek.  
    She sighed but smiled up at him, bright smile marred only by the brightly colored wiring of her braces, “Oh you know, same old, same old. You missed dinner, but I can warm something for you?” She suggested, moving to get out of her seat.  
    “No, no, it’s alright.” He smiled, “I’m not hungry right now. Is Keenan around?” While Hux hated his older sister, despised his parents, the three youngest Hux children were alright. Since Margaret was in Colorado at school, Carlin and Keenan were the only ones he really wanted to see and talk to, besides Egan of course.  
    “He’s at soccer practice.” She picked up her phone to check the time, sweeping the red hair from her shoulders in the process, “But he should be home any minute now.”  
    “And . . . “ Hux hesitated, “Where are they?” He knew that Carlin would know which ‘they’ he was referring to.  
    Carlin sighed, seeming a little tired herself, “They’re at dinner. Unfortunately, they’ll be back home any minute as well.”  
    Hux rolled his eyes. Of course they would leave their children to fend for themselves while they went out. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He stood up and looked around at Moira, “And what are you doing here?”  
    “Babysitting.” She answered shortly.  
    Hux rolled his eyes again, an action he saw himself doing a lot of over the rest of the week. It was most likely Moira had nothing to do and didn’t want to admit it. “Well as fun as conversing with you always is.” He was so close to getting away when her voice stopped him again.  
    “I saw Elizabeth the other day. She looks fabulous.”  
    Hux froze, ice dripping through his veins at the name. “Is she? That’s nice.” He tried to move again but it seemed Moira wasn’t finished with him.  
    “Saw a rather large ring on her finger as well.” Moira’s tone was playfully cold. “Seemed she was quite happy.”  
    It took Hux a moment to find his voice, “I’m happy for her.” And this time he really did manage to leave the kitchen.  
    Moira scoffed, watching him leave. “Sure you are.”  
    Hux couldn’t understand the feelings he was having. He’d had next to no emotional feelings for Elizabeth Glendale, or whatever her new name was going to be, and saw their relationship as nothing more than part of the life he’d weaved. There was no reason for him to be feeling the urge to throw up the mediocre dinner he’d consumed on his plane ride here. And yet, it was still there.  
————  
    It was almost an hour later when Mr. and Mrs. Hux finally arrived home from their evening. Feeling a tad bit obligated, he pulled on a sweatshirt and walked down the stairs to meet them in the kitchen.  
    “Dad, Siobhan,” He forced the words out of his mouth, “It’s good to see you.”  
    “Oh, Armitage. I didn’t know you were flying in today.” Siobhan Doherty Hux was the first to acknowledge him, surprisingly. But, Hux noticed, the reason for that seemed to be the same reason there was a flush on her cheeks and her eyes were a little unfocused. The dark hair that Moira had inherited was slightly mussed around her ears, her shirt hanging slightly tilted on her small frame.  
    “Armitage.” His father’s gruff voice wasn’t far behind his rough handshake. “What did you do to your foot?”  
    Hux looked down at the boot peeking out from under his pajama bottoms. “I got run over.”  
    Brendol Hux sized his mouth into a grim line, “Figures.”  
    “My arraignment is Thursday morning, will you be gracing the courts with your presence?” Hux had the insane urge to rile him up, although why, he couldn’t pinpoint.  
    Brendol cleared his throat, “And subject this family to even more unwelcome attention? I think not. No, you’ll go on your own to clean up the mess you made on you own.”  
    Hux chuckled humorlessly, “Sorry I couldn’t learn how to steal money as seamlessly as you did, father.” He turned and stomped out of the kitchen as angrily as he could with a walking boot on a foot.  
    When he made it upstairs, he resisted the urge to slam his door like a child, but only barely. He dropped to the bed, still dressed with his old comforter and sheets, and sighed heavily. He couldn’t believe he’d even come here. He should’ve gotten a hotel, ignored them all until he left, but he’d so desperately wanted to see his brother, his little step - siblings who’d only been victims of Brendol’s bad parenting as well.  
    He let his body fall back against the bed and suddenly he understood what Ren had meant when he’d said Hux might need him. He reached for his phone and clicked the pre - programmed contact for him.  
    “Hello?” The voice sounded harried, if not slightly annoyed, but the familiarity sent a thrill through Hux’s chest and allowed him to relax a little.  
    “Kylo? It’s Hux.”  
    A deep sigh could be heard on the line, “Thank God, Hux. I’ve been answering every unknown call since you left. I didn’t even know I had debt, let alone debt collectors after me. And can you believe how many telemarketers call? How do they even get my number! This is why i don’t answer unknown phone calls!”  
    Hux listened to the mild rant with a smile on his face. “You have my number now though.”  
    “You sound tired. Is everything okay?”  
    It was amazing how well Ren could pick up on the nuances in his voice. “I’m okay. Better than I expected.”  
    “Do you want to talk about it?” Ren asked quietly.  
    Hux thought about it but shook his head, “No, I’d rather hear about your day. Did you finish your plates?”  
    “No, I finished the plates last week. This week was bowls. Keep up, Hux.”  
    Hux chuckled, the first real laugh he’d had since landing, “My bad. I’ll do better. What did you add to the bowls? You already finished the base coating last week.”  
    “Well I’m working on the actual design now. It’s hard working straight lines into a curved object and I want it to be accurate. It’s slow going, but I’m getting there.”  
    Hux and Kylo talked for another hour at least about random things, anything to take Hux’s mind off of what had happened and what was to come. When eleven rolled around, he figured he might as well get some sleep. “Kylo, dear, I’ll have to talk to you later. I’ve got a long day tomorrow.”  
    Hux heard Kylo sigh but he relented, “Alright baby, but call me if it gets to be too much alright?”  
    “I will, Kylo. I promise.” Hux laughed lightly.  
    “Goodnight, Huxey.”  
    “Night, Kylo.” As soon as Hux pushed the red ‘end call’ button, there was a light knock on his door. It could only be a couple of people, the people he despised the most would have just barged in, but he was still surprised to be receiving visitors this late on a weeknight.  
    He crawled off the bed to pull the bedroom door open, “Keenan? Hey, how are you?” Hux was excited but whispered the greeting as he pulled the youngest Hux into a hug. “Get in here.”  
    Keenan stepped inside the room with a shy smile on his face. “Hey, Armie! I haven’t seen you in forever. Wait, what happened to your foot?”  
    Hux looked down at it again, like he’d forgotten it was there, “I got run over by  rollerblader.” He waved away his concerns, “It’s no biggie.”  
    “You hang around rollerbladers now?” Keenan laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “California has changed you, man.”  
    “Here’s hoping.” Hux laughed with him. “How is everything?” Had had always felt bad for leaving Keenan behind. It wasn’t like they were close in age, there was almost ten years between them, but he saw himself in Keenan. He was a bright boy, very intelligent, and Hux knew he would be so much better off once he’d gotten out of this house. But he had a long way to go, and Hux couldn’t make himself wait for him.  
    “Rough. Terrible.” Keenan shrugged looked down at his socked covered feet, “Nothing other than the usual.”  
    “Still being forced to play soccer, I hear.” Hux stated with a slight wince on his face.  
    “I’m sure he still think it’ll ‘fix’ me.” Keenan spat out the word.  
    Hux reached out a warm hand to rest it on his shoulder. “It won’t be this way forever. I promise.” He spoke quietly.  
    His words made Keenan look up, blush, and then look down again. “I - I heard you talking on the phone.” Hux cleared his throat and looked away from him, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, it’s just -“  
    “It’s ok.” Hux stopped him, “Really.” If anyone would, he expected Keenan to understand the feeling of a double life.  
    Keenan looked up at him, “Whose Kylo?”  
    Hux couldn’t help the small smile the name caused. “He’s my -“ He stopped, unsure of what to call him but then decided that if he could trust anyone, it was Keenan. “Kylo is my boyfriend.”  
    Keenan’s shy smile turned brighter, “Really? What’s he like?”  
    Hux chuckled softly as he thought about it, “Kylo is a little crazy,” He smirked, “But in a good way. He lives in a Tiny House on the beach, surfs every day, and he’s got his own art studio that used to be an old firehouse. He even owns his own bike and tattoo shop. He’s everything that dad would hate.” Keenan and Hux shared a laugh.  
    He sounds wonderful. “Could I meet him?”  
    “Absolutely. Maybe i’ll fly you out after this is all over.” Hux suggested, unsure if this would ever be ‘all over’ but determined to ease his little brother’s fears.  
    “Do you think you’ll stay in California?”  
    Hux had expected this question but wasn’t exactly sure how to answer it. “I’m not sure. Right now, I think it’s best. If the courts let me that is.”  
    Keenan nodded, “People have done worse.” He tried to cheer him up, “Like dad.”  
    Hux barked a laugh, “You’re definitely right about that.”  
————  
    “You look nice.” Thannison stood in front of him with a grim smile and a pencil skirt sharp enough to kill him. She looked him over. “That suit will do. Remember, look contrived.” She turned and walked away, “And don’t forget to breathe!”  
    Hux hurried to catch up after her.  
————  
    “How’d it go?” Carlin greeted him at the door when he finally returned to the house. “What did they say?”  
    Hux sighed heavily, not wanting to talk about it, but also not wanting to push her away either. “I can go back to California before the trial, but once it starts, i’ll have to stay in the state.”  
    “I’m sorry.” Carlin did actually look apologetic. “What about - “ She trailed off, looking at him.  
    Hux shook his head a little, unwilling to go that deep into it, “It’s all up to Thannison now.” He said a little gloomily. “But the good news because this is such a high profile case that it should be over quickly. What that means for me though, I don’t know. But come on, have you had dinner yet?” She shook her head, “Then let’s get something to eat.”  
    Carlin’s smile was slow growing, but it was there, “Let me go get Keenan.” She raced up stairs and Hux turned towards the kitchen. He found it blissfully empty and headed for the kitchen planner. In the drawer beneath the laptop, Hux found an extra credit card. Siobhan had always left them lying around when he lived here and since he didn’t exactly have the funds to treat his siblings to dinner, he was just going to use her’s.  
    Carlin came back with Keenan and the trio headed towards the car.  
————  
    “Keep your hands on the wheel!” Hux yelled for the third time. He’d caved to his little sister’s begging tone and let her drive them to the restaurant. She’d learned how to drive while he’d been away and she wanted to show him how much she’d learned. “I can’t believe they gave you a driver’s license.”  
    “Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly. “I’m good, I promise.”  
    Hux gripped the dashboard with his hands, “That has yet to be proven. Just try to get us there in one piece, please.”  
    She laughed, “Will do.”  
    Hux turned into his seat to look back at Keenan who was sitting happily in the back seat on his phone like nothing was wrong. “I can’t believe you’re just accepting this.”  
    Keenan shrugged with an easy smile, “I’m used to it.”  
————  
    “So Keenan tells me you’re enjoying California.” Carlin’s smile was far too mischievous for it to just be a simple question.  
    Hux looked over at Keenan who was suspiciously looking only at his food. “Yes, I am. Why? Would you like to come for a visit?”  
    “No. Just wondering if the next time you come home, someone might be coming with you.” She smirked over her food at him.  
    The thought hadn’t even crossed Hux’s mind. “No. There’s no way I’m subjecting him to this family.” He answered quickly.  
    “So there /is/ a he!” She practically gasped.  
    Hux winced and glared at Keenan again, who raised his hands in surrender, “You walked into that one yourself, dude.”  
    Hux groaned. “Yes, ok. I have a boyfriend. I don’t understand what the big deal is.” He especially couldn’t understand why he was blushing in front of his siblings.  
    Carlin giggled, “I just wanted you to say it out loud,” And with that she turned back to her food and continued eating.  
————  
    “Was today a little better?”  
    “Not really.” Hux deadpanned, scratching his bare chest lightly with his free hand. He’d called Ren later that night when he was safely shut inside the bedroom and tucked underneath years of memories.  
    “You know,” Ren hesitated, “When you get back home, we can talk about this.” Ren was trying to fix his problems. It was sweet, needed, but Hux wasn’t ready for it.  
    “I know.” Hux sighed, his hand coming up to wipe his face, “I know.”  
    “I can’t wait for you to come home. I’ve missed you, Gingersnap.”  
    Hux smiled, “I’ve missed you too. I”ll be home soon, Kylo.”  
    “Not soon enough.”  
————  
    “I’ll stay in a hotel next time I come over.” Hux announced to his father who was sitting in his study drinking. “Avoid . . . this.”  
    “Did you expect me to welcome you back with open arms?” His father answered gruffly.  
    “You never have before, why start now.” Hux stated. “I’ll be back in two weeks. I’d avoid the press if I were you.” He left his father’s office without waiting for his response, not that he would have gotten one anyway.  
    Egan was waiting for him in the hall, phone in his hands typing furiously. When he heard the office door slam shut, he looked up and dropped the phone into his pocket. “Not good?”  
    Hux shook his head and walked past him to where his bag was already waiting at the front door. “Is it ever?”  
    Egan pulled up his phone again and followed him. “I can always hope.”  
    “Not with him, you can’t, Techie.” Hux grumbled.  
    “Wait!” The voice called from the top of the stairs and Hux looked up to see Carlin and Keenan racing down the stairs. “You can’t leave without saying goodbye.”  
    Hux felt a guilty twinge, “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around Carlin before pulling away. “I’ll be back in two weeks though.” He smiled down at them, “Hopefully without the walking boot.”  
    “Say ‘hi’ to Kylo for me.” Keenan whispered into Hux’s ear as he hugged him.  
    “Sure.” Hux pulled away smirking, “I’ll bring you guys back gifts from California next time.”  
    “Ooh! Can I have a surfboard?” Carlin yelled as he walked through the door.  
    “No.” Hux laughed shutting the door after his twin brother. He made his way to the car and climbed in expecting to hear  grant from his brother. When almost five minutes had passed and he’d heard nothing, he got concerned. “Techie? You alright?”  
    “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”  
    “You haven’t said a single word.” Hux laughed a little, “I’m concerned.”  
    Egan laughed as well, “I just know that you’re expecting me to grill you about the court case, but I know that’s not what you want, so I’m abstaining.”  
    Hux snorted, “How kind of you.”  
    “Plus, I know you’ll tell me eventually. You always do.” Egan pulled up towards the passenger drop off at the airport. “I’ll see you in two weeks?”  
    “Absolutely. You have my phone number now, feel free to call me.”  
    “I love you.” Egan reached across the console and wrapped his arms around Hux.  
    “I love you too, Techie.” He patted his brother on the shoulder before pulling away and leaving the car.  
————  
    Hux hadn’t been expecting anything when he’d got back so he was happily surprised when Ren waited against his beat up station wagon with his surfboard tied to the hood. Hux breathed a sigh of relief though as he made his way towards him.  
    Ren seemed to be positively beaming as he pushed off his car and met Hux a few feet from his car with a light kiss and broad arms around his shoulders. “Gingersnap, I’ve missed you.”  
    Hux laughed, “Baby, you’re going to make me fall. Hold on.” He laughed again as Ren pulled away and left him unbalanced.  
    Ren was a flurry of movement then, grabbing Hux’s bag from his shoulder, and dragging him towards the car. “Come on. You deserve a giant breakfast at Stardust, on me.”  
    While the thought of food was nice, Hux had other things on his mind. “What about just being on you?” He smirked when Ren looked over at him with wide, eager eyes and nodded his head.


	7. Week Seven

# Week Seven  
#NotAllWhoWander/SouthOfNowhere  
Hux awoke suddenly with a pleasant ache in his body. The light blue, hardwood ceiling was instantly recognizable as Ren’s house, but when Hux looked over at the other side of the bed with bleary eyes, Ren was no where to be found. Hux pushed himself up, but then winced when He turned his foot the wrong way. It seemed in his sleep, he’d forgotten that his foot was even hurt. That only seemed to happen when he was with Ren.  
“Hux! Breakfast!” It was only then that Hux smelled the frying bacon and the smell of melting cheese.  
Hux yawned, stretched, and moved out from under the blankets to pull on his boxers and move down the stairs. Ren was standing in front of the stove with a spatula in his hands. “You shouldn’t cook bacon without a shirt on, dear.”  
“I’m fine.” Ren laughed. “And that’s a fine way to thank me for making you breakfast.”  
Hux chuckled slightly and moved forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for making me breakfast. It’s a nice welcome home gift.”  
“Oh, no, the welcome home gift was all of last night.” Ren smirked when Hux blushed. “This is just me being a great boyfriend.”  
Hux laughed, “You know my siblings interrogated me about you.” Hux wasn’t quite sure why he felt the need to mention that to him now, but Hux was feeling better than normal for some reason.  
“Oh yeah?” Ren chuckled as he plated the food and set it on the table. “What did they ask you about?”  
“They wanted to know all about you.” Hux shrugged, “They’re nosy.”  
Ren and Hux sat down at the small table and Ren reached a hand forward to grab Hux’s. “And what did you tell them?”  
Hux smiled as he grabbed Ren’s hand and picked up his fork with the other. “I told them enough.”  
————  
It was such an ungodly hour to be awake, but Ren had insisted. It turned out that breakfast had been an apology for waking Hux up before the sun and dragging him from the house to watch him surf. Hux had to admit, sitting on the beach was a better place to watch the sunrise, but he also would have liked it from Ren’s bed. Hux also argued that nothing beat a New York skyline, but then again, New York wasn’t exactly his favorite place right now. It was definitely loosing the battle to California beaches and warm weather. New York also didn’t have a tanned Ren running towards him, dripping wet, and carrying a surfboard under a muscled arm.  
Hux couldn’t help but bite his lip as he watched Ren shake some of the water from his hair and dig his board into the sand before coming closer to the towel he’d sat Hux on thirty minutes ago. Ren unzipped his wetsuit and pulled it down around his waist before dropping to his knees. “I can’t wait till you get this thing off.” He gestured to Hux’s foot, “So I can get you out on the water with me.”  
Hux shook his head, “No way. I’m not that good with sports, Ren.” And that was an understatement.  
“That’s because you haven’t had the right teacher.” Ren leaned forward and kissed Hux’s knee. “Someone to give you the right motivation.”  
“If you say so,” Hux laughed. “I’ll give you a couple of tries, but I’m not falling on my ass for your enjoyment.”  
Ren laughed, “Fair enough. When do you have to go into work?”  
Hux sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees and looking along the beach. “I’ve got the morning off. Finn wanted me to rest after my trip. But I’m going in for the lunch rush.”  
Ren nodded, “All right. Give me another half hour here, we’ll get changed, and then head to the studio.” He smirked. “You want to help me paint?”  
It had only been a couple of waking hours since Hux had been back, but he could tell Ren was trying to make him feel better. The morning beach visit, and now helping him paint, apparently. Nonetheless, Hux enjoyed the time spent with him, so he nodded with a light smile slipping from his lips. “Sure. Although, I’m not that artistic either. I’m not sure what I could help you with.”  
Ren only smiled, getting up and pulling his suit back around his body, “You’ll see.”  
————  
“Ren, I feel like a child.” Hux groaned looking down at the bright orange paint covering his hands. “And why did you give me this color to work with?”  
Ren came back with three more cans of paint balanced in his arms. “Because it matches your hair, Gingersnap, why else?” He set the cans of paint down next to the other seven and looked up at him. “You look great. What are you talking about?” Ren’s hands settled on his hips as he looked Hux over.  
Ren called this his ‘painter look’, and Hux didn’t really think it vibed with him. He was wearing a pair of cutoff shorts, a plastic bag wrapped around his foot, and a tank top he’d previously only worn under his suits (he’d managed to raid his closet before he left New York). He’d stepped away from the minimalist Wall Street look, but that didn’t mean he was ready for this. And to top it all off, there was orange paint covering his hands.  
“Ren,” Hux sighed.  
“No, no! No going back on your word.” Ren held up the tool he’d been using to crack open paint cans, “You said you’d help.”  
“Okay, okay, fine.” Hux turned towards the giant sheet of canvas hanging from the ceiling and draped onto the floor. He approached the bottom right corner and kneeled down to press both hands on the fabric. He pulled them away, satisfied with the result, and stood up. “There. I helped.”  
Ren snorted, “Great, now grab another color.”  
Hux groaned. “What’s the point?” He gestured, “Of all of this?”  
“There’s no point to art, Huxey,” Ren smiled softly at him. “It just is.”  
“What does that even mean?” Hux sighed. At this point, there was no point in being frustrated with Ren’s vague answers. It was almost endearing.  
Ren stood up and stepped towards the shorter man. He raised his hands to hold Hux’s arms, causing him to wince at the feeling of wet paint on his skin. “It’s like the ocean, Hux, it heals.” Ren nodded confidently, “So come on. Try it for me.”  
Hux blushed a little under Ren’s intense gaze, but gave a little nod, “Sure. But only for you.”  
Ren leaned down and kissed him slowly before pulling away. “Good. I want you in blue next.”  
Ren was a whirlwind after that, pouring paint into pans, grabbing brushes, and towels. At one point, he stopped and motioned for Hux to ‘do something’ at which point Hux yelled that he ‘didn’t know what the fuck to do’. Ren only laughed and told him to lay some more handprints. “Ren, I still don’t understand what we’re doing here.” Hux complained after a half hour.  
Ren had moved on from laying hand prints to working in different colors of splatter paint. “What do you mean?”  
“I understand that Art doesn’t have a point and all that, but shouldn’t it least have a plan? What are we doing?”  
Ren smiled, “Hux, sweetheart, I have a plan. You just don’t know it.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because it’s not your painting.” Ren smirked.  
“Well that’s just mean.” Hux pouted.  
“Oh is it? I’m sorry.” Ren laughed. “Would it make you feel better if I told you that you’re doing great and we’re right on track?”  
“No.” Hux mumbled wiping some paint off on his shorts. “Plus, I think i’m going to be late to work.”  
Ren turned around suddenly, “Oh shit. I’m sorry. I’m not used to working on a time line.” With that he was a flurry of movement, putting away paint and wiping Hux’s hands free of paint.  
Hux laughed, “I think I’m going to need a shower.”  
“Nah, just go in like this. You’ll probably fit in better anyway.” Ren teased.  
“That’s not nice.” Hux laughed, “You’re being so mean to me today.”  
“It’s just payback for you leaving me.” Ren shrugged with an easy smile as he dunked brushes into a bucket of warm water.  
“It wasn’t like a had a choice, Ren, believe me.” Hux sighed, his mood darkening slightly with the mention of his trip. “I don’t want to go back either.”  
Ren turned around, “What do you mean go back?”  
Hux winced. He hadn’t meant to say that. Quickly, he tried to think of something to distract Ren but considering he was already distracted trying to clean up, Hux only said, “Do you have a shower here? Maybe that would be quicker.”  
“Yeah, but its not really clean. I don’t remember the last time I used it.” Ren answered effectively falling for Hux’s trap.  
“It’s fine. I just need to rinse off the paint. Where is it?”  
“Upstairs, but Hux-“  
Hux leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ll be quick. I promise.” He smiled before retreating upstairs fast enough for Ren to not stop him, but not slow enough to keep his ankle from hurting. He paid for it as he stood under a spray of hot water wincing and watching the multi - color paint wash down the drain. Ren had been right. It looked like the shower had mostly been used to clean off painting materials not people, but it was good enough for Hux’s escape and that’s all that mattered.  
He couldn’t believe that he’d let his plans slip out. Hux was getting comfortable around Ren, making it difficult to hold things back from him. He was going to have to explain things to him soon enough and he still didn’t have a single idea as to how he was going to go about that.  
When he came back downstairs, Ren was done cleaning up and had retied his messy bun and changed into some different, cleaner jeans. “Ready to go?” Hux limped towards the door.  
“Yep. You might only be a few minutes late.” Ren opened the door for him, locked the warehouse behind them and then headed for the car. “I’m sorry about that, honestly.”  
“It’s ok. I have a perfect track record so it’s not that big of a deal.” Hux climbed into the car. “Plus, I can always just blame it on you.”  
“Oh, thank you.” Ren laughed. “I’ll be lucky to get double orders of fries now that i’ve made their prized employee late.”  
“Yeah, you should start the groveling now.” Hux smiled. “Thanks for this morning, by the way. It was definitely needed.”  
“Of course.” Ren answered but it wasn’t with his usual gusto. Hux turned to look over at him as he pulled up in front of the Stardust.  
“Is something wrong?” Hux asked quietly.  
“No, not really.”  
Hux sighed. That meant yes. “What is it Kylo?”  
“Nothing, honestly, Hux, we can just talk about it later.” Ren finally turned to look at him.  
Hux didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Ok, after work then?”  
“Yeah. How about I cook you dinner tonight?” Kylo’s smile was back in place. “You haven’t tasted anything but my breakfast cooking and that is such a misfortune.”  
Hux couldn’t help but laugh at him. “As long as you don’t poison me, I’m sure it’ll be great.”  
Ren got out and walked around the car to open Hux’s door for him. “I’ll pick you up when your shift’s over.” He leaned down and kissed him on the lips. “I’ll see you.”  
Hux kissed him back before limping towards the door to diner and watching him drive away. Hux didn’t have a good feeling about this.  
————  
Work moved quickly, unfortunately. Hux enjoyed being back at the Stardust, seeing normal people again and interacting with Finn and Poe, but the day was still a little slow going and he didn’t have much to do. He found himself daydreaming, and ruminating on what Kylo was going to talk to him about. Hux had considered telling him about his trip, but not if Kylo was already upset.  
“Why is it that I can always tell when you’re having a bad day?” Finn walked up to the host’s booth and leaned across it with an easy smile.  
Hux chuckled softly, “Because you’re entirely too perceptive? Nosy perhaps?”  
Finn pointed at him, jokingly, “That’s the one, the second one.” He laughed, “Alright, Hux, let it out. What’s wrong?”  
Hux rolled his eyes, “Nothing.”  
“Your face is telling a different story.” Finn continued when Hux sighed and still refused to answer. “Does it have to do with your trip home?”  
“Kind of.” Hux mumbled, realizing that Finn wasn’t going to leave him alone.  
“It wasn’t good?”  
“It was fine. Just didn’t come back with good information.”  
“Mm.” Finn hummed slowly, “Do you want to talk about it?”  
Hux sighed again, “Can I ask you something?”  
Finn sat up a little, “Yeah, sure.”  
“If you had a something big to tell someone and it wasn’t very good, how would you go about telling that someone?” Hux figured that he would probably know it was about Ren but it was just easier to talk about it this way.  
Finn thought about it for a second before answering. “Well, i’m not very big on confrontation, so I tend to procrastinate telling Poe any bad news.”  
Hux nodded, “I think I’m the same way.”  
“The easiest way to go about this, is to just spit it out. Get it over with. Because the more you think about it and the more you push it back, the worse it’s going to be.” Finn stood up and shrugged, “And you never know, he might take it easier than you think.”  
Hux sighed. “I doubt it, but thank you, Finn.”  
“Any time, Hux.” Finn smiled and clapped Hux on the back as he headed back towards the kitchen.  
————  
When work was over, Hux figured he would take a walk down the beach to clear his mind before going over to Ren’s, but he found that Ren was already waiting for him. His smile was bright as ever as he pushed himself off the side of the building when Hux exited the front door.  
“Hey, baby.” He stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Hux’s lips.  
Hux kissed him slowly, relishing the feel of Ren’s body against his. “Hi, how was your day?” He finally asked when he pulled away. “Did you finish that piece we were working on this morning?”  
“No, of course not.” Ren smiled down at him. “It’s ours. I wouldn’t finish it without you.”  
For some reason, the statement warmed Hux’s heart. “Oh, well thank you.”  
Ren chuckled, “Come on, i’ve already been to the grocery store so we can go straight to my place.”  
“Oh-“ Hux stopped, pulling away from him slightly, “Could we stop by mine first? I kind of want to take a quick shower.”  
“Yeah, of course.” Ren wrapped his arm around him again as he left him to the car. “You smell fine though.” He smirked.  
Hux shook his head, “It’s not about how I smell, but thank you.” He smiled, “I just feel like i’m covered in smoke and grime. I washed the grill after lunch when we had a slow period.”  
“Ooh, burgers with a side of soap. My favorite.”  
“Shut up!” Hux laughed, “I’m very good at my job!”  
“Oh, I know.” Ren smiled as he turned into the motel parking lot, “I’ve seen you prancing around the kitchens with that bright, orange hair tucked into those sexy hair nets.”  
Hux busted out laughing, “You’re insane, Ren.” When the car pulled to a stop, Hux got out and shut the door. Leaning down into the open window, he offered Ren a smirk, “And I don’t prance.”  
Hux left the car with Ren’s laughter ringing in his ears and made his way into the hotel room. He still didn’t have nearly enough for months payments on an apartment, but he was getting his new accounts built up and starting a sizable savings as well. Still, as he tripped around suitcases and boxes full of random things, Hux couldn’t help but pray for the day when he could back in a place he could call home.  
After taking a squick shower, scrubbing off some excess paint and dirt, and changing clothes, Hux locked the motel door behind himself and headed back towards the car to see Ren nodding his head to the beat of a song. While Hux was watching, Ren lifted imaginary drum sticks and started beating out the drum solo to the song on his steering wheel. Hux stayed put until the solo was over before approaching the car clapping.  
“Amazing! Why don’t you have a band?” Hux laughed, getting back into the car.  
“Thank you.” Ren smiled at him and offered a faux bow. “You know I did actually think about that.”  
“What? Joining a band?”  
“Well this is California, home to all the famous people. I wondered if it was as hard as they’re always saying it is.”  
“I would have never dated a drummer.” Hux smirked.  
“Oh, like you would have had a choice.” Ren scoffed, “I’m irresistible.”  
Hux couldn’t even deny that Ren wasn’t so he stayed quiet and enjoyed the ride down the beach. When Ren finally pulled up alongside his property, Hux asked, “So what are you cooking me tonight?”  
“I’m not cooking you anything.” Ren smirked as he wrapped an arm around Hux’s waist and led him down to his house. “/We/ are going to be cooking a three course meal.”  
“We?” Hux pulled open the door to the trailer with hesitation. “Ren, I don’t cook.”  
“Well you will be tonight.” Ren smiled. “It’s not that hard, Hux. You’ll be alright.”  
“How about I just assist?” Hux tried, taking his shoes off and setting them by the door.  
Ren was rumbling around in the pantry and fridge, setting out ingredients that he needed, “Or you can make dessert. And dinner, and the appetizers.” The fridge closed and Hux could see Ren smirking.  
“So basically I have no choice?” Hux sighed.  
Ren walked over and left a brief kiss on his lips. “None.”  
All of the light teasing and conversation still hadn’t eased Hux’s nerves about their earlier conversation. Hux was still wondering what it was that Ren had felt upset about and hoped that it wasn’t anything serious. He’d hate to think that Ren was making this fabulous dinner as an apology for breaking up with him. At the thought, Hux’s heart rate started to rise. But then he looked over and saw Ren’s smile and the way his eyes crinkled with laugh lines and tried to forget about it. If this was going to be his last evening with him, then he wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.  
Hux approached the stove with a ready smile. “Tell me what to do first.”  
————  
“If I’d known that dessert was just going to be ice cream and cookies, I would have agreed a lot sooner. You had me thinking we were going to make a pie or something.” Hux sat on the old, blue couch with his foot elevated on the cushion next to him.  
Ren chuckled as he ate another bite. “I could have made a pie, but I felt like that was pushing it a little.”  
“Just a little.” Hux agreed. “Next time, maybe.”  
Ren smiled, “Next time, for sure.” Hux couldn’t stop the little flutter in his chest that meant there would /be/ a next time.  
“So, uhm,” The older man hesitated, “What did you want to talk about? Earlier?” He asked quietly.  
Ren’s smile dropped, but not completely, “I’d hate to ruin the mood. We can always talk about it later.”  
Hux sighed, “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”  
Ren laughed, “No.”  
“Then please, just tell me before I die.”  
“So dramatic.” Ren chuckled before sighing slightly, “I just wanted to ask you what’s been going on?”  
“On?” Hux repeated in a small voice as his hear constricted in his chest. “What do you mean?”  
Ren sighed a little as he finished and set his bowl aside. “I know that you’re not big on sharing. I understand why and I would never want to push that, push you.” Hux’s heart rate climbed as Ren paused to clear his throat. “But something’s been going on. I can feel it. I can see it.” Kylo finally looked over at him, “I just want to know that it’s not my fault. Help you, if I can. I don’t want to -“  
“Oh, my God, no.” Hux exclaimed in a rush of relief. “No, it has nothing to do with you.” In his relief, Hux mistakenly admitted that he was indeed dealing with something, but he’d never imagined that Kylo would think that that something had to do with him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t - I wasn’t thinking.”  
The tension left Kylo’s face with Hux’s words. “I didn’t do something to hurt you? Or make you think that -?”  
“No. No, of course not.” Hux reached out to grab Kylo’s hand, “You have done nothing. You have been nothing less than perfect to me. Honestly, thank you.”  
Kylo slid closer along the couch and wrapped his arm around Hux’s waist, “Then what’s going on, Armie? I hate to see you like this.”  
Hux turned away slightly so he could lean his head back on Ren’s chest. “I don’t exactly know how to say this, Ren. How to tell you any of it, actually.”  
There was a short silence, where Hux listened to the sound of Ren’s heartbeat and his slow, even breathing. “Does it have to do with your trip back home?”  
Hux nodded slowly. “And my past.” The arm around his waist tightened and he felt Ren’s lips on his head.  
“You don’t have to tell me, Armie.”  
“I know.” Hux sighed, “But I need to. You need to know.”  
“What’s wrong, baby?” Ren was starting to grow worried. Hux could tell by the way his grasp around him tightened and one of his large hands started to soothe him. Hux tried to focus on the small circles Ren was drawing on his thigh and not the heavy topic he was about to breach.  
“You remember when I told you about . . . about what happened to me?” Hux started.  
“Mhm.”  
“Well,” He took a deep breath and let his eyes drop closed before finally speaking. “I left some things out.”   
It took him a while to get through it all, to explain himself, but Hux didn’t try to give any excuses. He’d known the minute he’d taken the deal that it was wrong. He’d known from the beginning that what he was doing wrong, but the pressures had been too much and he’d crumbled under the weight of it all. Hux told him about everything, his family, his trial, the state mandated commitment, and oddly enough he felt better when it was all out. He felt like he could breathe again.   
But then silence overtook his words and doubt began to creep in. Ren didn’t want him. Ren /couldn’t/ want him. Not after this.  
When Hux was finished, Ren didn’t say anything. In fact, he didn’t say anything for a while. All Hux could focus on was the sound of the ocean waves outside and the feeling of Ren’s fingers on his thigh. Hux didn’t dare turn around, afraid to see the look of disappointment on his face. Afraid to see his fears come true, to see in Ren’s eyes that Hux really wasn’t worth it. His past had finally caught up to him and not even in the way that Hux had suspected. Hux’s heart was racing.  
“You aren’t married, are you?” Ren’s deep voice split through the silence easily.  
Hux froze. He pulled away from him after a second and turned around to see his face. “That’s all you have to say?”  
Ren’s eyes widened at Hux’s words. “Well are you? Because if you’ve been shacking up with me to avoid a scorned wife, then i’m going to have to break up with you.” Ren’s tone was straight but the teasing smile that Hux knew was on his face. “Come on, Armie, what did you think I would say?”  
Hux sighed in relief. “I don’t- I don’t know.” He kept looking back up at him. “You do understand what I said right? Ren, I could go to jail for this.”  
Ren nodded, reaching a hand out to smooth his fingers down his cheek. “And unfortunately you would deserve it, babe. But i’ll stick by your side, alright? I’m not going to leave you.” Hux felt his throat tighten as he met Ren’s eyes. “My dear, dear, Armitage,” He even managed to not flinch at his own name. “We all make mistakes. Your's just come with a trial date.” Ren’s easy smile is what broke him. He felt the tears before he noticed he was even crying.  
“Come here, love.” Ren opened his arms and Hux crawled into them without hesitation. He didn’t have any strength left for second guessing.


	8. Week Eight

    The moonlight streamed through the small window at the top of the house and stirred Hux from his sleep. He turned over and wrapped himself around Kylo’s still form and felt the other man adjust accordingly.  
    “We need to get going.” Kylo’s deep voice mumbled against his head.  
    “Five more minutes.” Hux pleaded sleepily.  
    “We’ve got to get to the airport.” Kylo insisted, raising one of his arms to wrap around Hux’s shoulders.  
    “The airport can wait.” As far as Hux was concerned, the whole damned trial could wait.  
    Instead of answering him again, Kylo just pushed himself up and started to disentangle himself from the bedsheets. “I’ll get started on making breakfast.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “You’ve got time to catch a shower.”  
    Hux knew he wouldn’t move unless directed and they really would be late if they didn’t start moving. Their luggage stood packed by the front door along with a backpack. Kylo had brought his portfolio, hoping to stop by some galleries while he was there, and Hux had wanted Kylo’s laptop to watch movies on the plane.  
    After listening to Hux spill all of his secrets, Kylo had made Hux promise to bring him along when he went back to New York. He wasn’t going to let Hux go through that by himself. Which is why they were currently up before the crack of dawn trying to get ready and get to the airport even though the night before had been filled with plenty of grief. Hux had had several panic attacks and Kylo had tried his hardest to pack their things and keep Hux above ground at the same time. To say they were tired was an understatement.  
    Half an hour later, they’d eaten, dressed, and had one more breakdown before Kylo ushered Hux into the Uber. The ride there was quiet, mostly because Hux didn’t want to spill his secrets with the woman driving able to listen, but Kylo’s hand was in his and he was sure that the other man could tell by the constant shaking that Hux wasn’t alright. When they finally got to the airport and were able to talk, Kylo stood in front of Hux and nodded.  
    “I know, babe. I know.”  
    “It’s just -“ Hux tried, moving closer and wrapping his arms around Kylo’s waist. He gripped the younger man’s shirt as he tried to stop the shaking.  
    Kylo set down the back on his shoulder and raised both of his hands to cradle Hux’s face in his hands. “Armie, babe, take a deep breath for me, please. I know that this is a shit storm, but we can get through it.”  
    “Kylo.” Hux was borderline whining. “We literally only bought you a return ticket home. How the hell are we going to get through this?”  
    And while it was true that they’d only bought Kylo a return ticket, the man stood smiling above Hux for another reason. “You think of it as home?”  
    Hux huffed, a slight smile slipping onto his face, “Yes, oh my God, but can you focus?”  
    Kylo laughed and shook his head slightly, “Right, right, I’m focusing. Let’s get to our gate and we can talk some things through.”  
    Hux would rather turn around and go back to the beach (wow, he never thought he’d say /that/ sentence), but he nodded and allowed Kylo to continue dragging him through the terminal. Hux would never say it, but he liked the way that Kylo took control when Hux had none. Kylo always made fun of him for being a perfectionist, and it was true that he liked things a certain way especially if they concerned him, but recently nothing had gone his way. His life had blown up his face and everything he’d tried to control had fallen apart. He was done controlling things. He was happy to put everything in Kylo’s hands. And the man took over with ease.  
    Before Hux knew it, Kylo had eased his nerves, directed him onto the plane, and dealt with their luggage. All before Hux could even thank him. Hux looked over at the loser who was currently looking out the window of the airplane like a five year old. He reached over and grabbed Kylo’s hand. Kylo turned to look at him almost immediately to give him a smile and then turned back to the window.  
    The plane ride went faster than he’d expected and yet still felt like forever. He managed to get in a few hours, knowing that if he didn’t it would be hell the next day, but it wasn’t a restful sleep. It wasn’t sleeping beside Ren and waking up to the sunset. It was like sleeping in jail, which, ironically, he was about to get very used to.  
    When the plane finally landed and taxied, Hux wasn’t eager to move. In fact, he waited until the very last possible second, long after Ren had started glaring at him to move. His feet felt like lead bricks and he didn’t know how Kylo was doing it.   
    “Armie,” Kylo’s voice, which Hux had expected to be full of annoyance, was instead full of patience. “You said someone was coming to pick us up?”  
    Hux nodded and tried to pull himself together. “Uh, yeah.” It was at that moment that Hux realized he’d neglected to tell Ren a certain detail about his brother. “Uhm, Ren, don’t be alarmed.”  
    “Why would I? Is it an ex or something?” Kylo’s face was calm but Hux could tell the thought made him uncomfortable. It was all in the way he swiped his hair behind his ear.  
    “God’s no. No. It’s my brother.”  
    “Right you told me about him.” Kylo’s posture had eased considerably.  
    “Yeah, but I think I forgot to tell you-“  
    “Armie!” Hux turned at the sound of Techie’s voice over the sound of the luggage belt starting up. Hux smiled a gave a small wave.  
    “Hey Tech, we’ll be right there!” He called back before turning back to see Ren’s expression.  
    Ren’s eyes flicked between him and Techie at least two or three times. “Egan. . . .is your twin?”  
    Hux nodded with a contrite smile, “That’s the thing that I forgot to tell you about.”  
    Ren scoffed, “Yeah. I think you did. How does someone forget their twin brother? I’m telling him.” And with that Ren walked off quickly with a wide grin on his face.  
    Hux rolled his eyes, knowing that Ren wouldn’t embarrass him that like, but loving that the man could make him smile at a time like this. When he finally made it over to them, his boot hindering him a little more than normal, Egan and Kylo had passed pleasantries and were talking about Kylo’s job.  
    “I’m actually an entrepreneur.” Kylo explained, “I own a business on the main street of a sleepy town.” He shrugged, brushing off his accomplishment.  
    “It’s a really awesome shop, Techie. You would like it.” Hux had no idea if Techie actually would (no, definitely not), but he wasn’t about to let Kylo downplay his success. “He started it himself, from the ground up.” Hux smiled.  
    “Wow, that’s impressive.” Techie smiled easily. He’d always been better at small talk than Hux had. “I bet you could give me a tip or two, I’ve been meaning to-“ He was cut off by a small noise in his pocket. Techie pulled his phone out and looked at the message. “It looks like we’ve got to get going. Cindy says that dinner is almost ready.” He dropped his phone in his pocket before smiling and taking their luggage. “You’re in luck. When Cindy cooks the gods bow down to her.” He teased.  
    Kylo smiled down at Hux as they followed behind him to the car. “Your brother is nothing like you.”  
    “I know, that’s why I like him.” Hux gave a light laugh.  
    “Who is this Cindy? Wife?”  
    “Girlfriend.” Hux answered, but raised his voice when they were within earshot of him. “Should be his Fiancé though!”  
    “Enough.” Egan scoffed.  
    “Dating for five years, going on a hundred. They’re basically a married couple as it is.”  
    “Then leave us alone.” Egan laughed as he closed the car door. Hux gave Kylo the front, considering his long legs, and sat behind him instead.  
    “Like I would ever leave my little brother alone about anything.” Hux teased.  
    “Two minutes.” Egan scoffed again before turning to Kylo, “Let’s ignore him. He hates that.”  
    “I know.” Kylo laughed, giving Hux a humorous look from the front.  
    “Oh this is nice.” Hux rolled his eyes.  
    “So Kylo, is this your first time in New York?” Egan glanced at Hux in the rearview mirror with a smirk.  
    Kylo chuckled softly before answering him. “Uh, yeah, actually. I used to come up north a lot when I was growing up, but never this far. I’ve got family in politics.”  
    “Oh that’s interesting.” Egan replied politely, but Hux was floored.   
    “What do they do?” Hux had never thought about asking about Ren’s family before since family had been such a sore topic for him, but now he was upset that he hadn’t.  
    “My Aunt’s a Senator. So sometimes she would invite our family up for functions or stuff.” Kylo shrugged like it was no big deal, and Hux guessed for him it wasn’t. When you grew up in that world, it wasn’t really special. But Kylo wasn’t anything like that. Kylo was his sweet, artsy, surfer boy. There was no way he could be happy doing something like politics.   
    Hux was slightly jealous, as he listened to Egan and Kylo talk, that Kylo had managed to extricate himself from that world so much easier than he had. Maybe that was what was so attractive about Kylo in the first place. That he was that much stronger than Hux.  
————  
    Dinner with Egan and his girlfriend was nice. It was nice catching up with his brother a little bit more, albeit slightly embarrassing. He found himself blushing more than normal when Kylo talked about what they did back in California. He knew that Techie probably knew exactly what was going through his head as well, which didn’t make it any better. Hux just couldn’t help himself. His life in California made him happy, happier than he’d been in a while and he didn’t want his past life messing that up.  
    During a slight lull in the conversation, Hux sighed, “I think we should probably get to bed, Ky.” Kylo turned to look at him and nodded with a slight smile. Hux turned to look at Egan and Cindy, “Thank you so much for dinner. It was wonderful. We’ve got an early morning though.”  
    “Thannison’s picking you up right?” Egan asked, his face having lost it’s easy humor with the change of conversation.  
    “Yeah, I’m good.” Hux promised, “Don’t worry about me.”  
    Egan nodded, meeting Hux’s eyes. “Call me?”  
    Hux nodded as he got up and gestured for Kylo to follow. “You know I will. You’ll be the first to know. Goodnight, Techie.”  
    “Night Armie.”  
    Hux led Kylo up the stairs to the guest room at the end of the hall. They were silent for a while, both getting ready for bed, until they were both beneath the covers. Until Kylo asked a question.  
    “Are you nervous?”  
    “Yes.” Hux didn’t bother hiding himself from Kylo. “And the ceiling is too far away.”  
    Kylo snorted, “What?”  
    “The ceiling.” Hux sighed and reached straight up in the hopes of touching the ceiling like he could in Kylo’s bed. “It’s too far away.”  
    Kylo laughed and reached up to pull Hux’s arm back down. He kissed his knuckles, “We’ll be back home in no time, dear. You’ll see.”  
    Hux sighed again, “Kylo, I don’t want you to wait for me.” He’d been thinking about it for a while now. Ever since the reality of the trial had set in really. “If I go to jail. I don’t think-“  
    “Hux, please don’t -“  
    “No, I’m serious.” Hux sat up and turned to look down at him. He brushed hair out of his eyes in frustration and then angered himself even more when he realized that his hair was finally long enough to hang in front of his eyes if he didn’t gel it back.  
    “Hux I don’t want you to be thinking about this right now.” Kylo urged, “It’s not helpful.”  
    “If I go to jail, I want you to forget about me.”  
    Kylo outright laughed at that one, “Ok, Hux, like I could forget about you.” He finally sat up as well and pulled Hux’s chin forward with two long fingers, “Red, you’re not getting rid of me. So whatever pity party you’re throwing for yourself up there,” He looked up pointedly at Hux’s bright orange hair, “quit it.”  
    Hux smiled slightly and nodded. “Okay.”  
    “Thank you.” Kylo smiled before leaning forward and kissing him. His hand moved to envelop Hux’s chin as he deepened the kiss.  
    When Hux pulled away to breathe, he couldn’t help but tell Kylo, “You are so wonderful, and beautiful, and amazing.” His eyes had slipped closed as Kylo had continued kissing down his chin.   
    Kylo pulled him back down to kiss his lips again. And when he pulled away, his pupils were large and his lips kissed red. “I know you’re not really in a good place right now, and this isn’t the time or place, but I /really/want to make love to you.” Hux breathed out a short laugh. “You beautiful, doubting, piece of sh-“ But Kylo didn’t finish his sentence only moved forward to kiss Hux again.  
    Hux moaned into the kiss and Kylo shushed him with a teasing laugh before pulling him onto his lap. Hux went willingly, loving the feeling of Kylo wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. It made him feel like whatever happened this week might not be the worst thing ever if Kylo was willing to stand by him. Hux looked down at him and weaved his fingers into his hair. “Thank you.”  
    Kylo smiled and leaned forward for a kiss. “Red, I haven’t even made you come yet.”  
    Hux snorted and laughed into Kylo’s shoulder. “Oh God, I take it back.”  
————  
    In the morning, Hux and Kylo waited outside Egan’s house for the black town car that pulled up sharply at eight. Hux slid in first, Kylo after him, and once they were buckled in, the car left the neighborhood and headed into the city.  
    Hux’s heart was racing. He was only headed to his lawyer’s office for a day of prepping but the only thing that was running through his mind was what happened if all this failed. As the car continued to speed through traffic, Kylo reached over and grabbed his hand. It was a small, simple gesture, but it calmed Hux’s heart and eased the urge to jump from the vehicle. Which was just as well, because soon they were pulling up onto a busy street and being told to get out.  
    Kylo pulled on Hux’s hand to leave the car. But instead of dragging him up the dark stone steps, he instead pulled him towards a small alcove that looked like it had been placed there for smokers. “Red, let’s just take a moment.” Kylo’s voice was low and steady, which confused Hux because his hands were so shaky in his own. Oh. /He/was the one shaking. Okay. That made more sense.  
    He dropped Kylo’s hands and turned away from him. “I’m sorry. I know I’m kind of freaking out. I’ll pull it together. I promise.” Hux wasn’t sure if he was talking to Kylo or himself.  
    Kylo reached out a hand and set it on Hux’s shoulder. “I just want you to breathe. That’s it. That’s all I want.” He told him gently.   
    ”What if-“  
    ”No. Just breathe.” Kylo reiterated. “Take it one step at a time, darling.”  
    Hux chuckled, “I haven’t heard ‘darling’ in awhile.”  
    “It’s because I like Red so much better,” Kylo teased.  
    Hux chuckled again before finally turning around. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” He smiled, and he knew it wasn’t confident, but it was all he could manage.  
    Kylo nodded as he came forward and wrapped an arm around Hux’s shoulder. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”  
    “I know. Thank you.”  
    “No need to thank me.” Kylo smile turned into a mischievous smirk, “I’ll take it out of you later tonight.” He winked.   
    Hux snorted as they pushed past the glass doors. “Ok but we really can’t have sex in my brother’s house again.”  
————  
    “What does she think your chances are?” Eagan had asked the million dollar question.  
        He, Hux, and Kylo were sitting at an outdoor patio for lunch downtown. It was odd, how noisy and busy New York was now that Hux no longer considered it ‘home’. The morning of preparation hadn’t eased his nerves in the least. Now he was simply resigned to it, although Kylo insisted there was hope.  
    “Thannison says that because Hux wasn’t involved in the dirtier stuff that his chances are really good. He helped the detectives and -“ Kylo looked over at Hux quickly before adding in a lower tone, “His mental breakdown helped.”  
    Hux, who was leaning back in his chair and staring up at the sky, added, “She thinks she can get me institutionalized if that’s any fucking better.”  
    “Hey,” Kylo looked over at him softly, “It’s better than federal prison? Right?” Hux knew he was right but he didn’t feel like saying it.  
    “Well at least you’re done for the rest of the day. You can go see the kids.”  
    Hux chuckled as he finally sat up, “They’re hardly kids anymore, Egan. Have you talked to Margo since I was here last?”  
    Egan nodded, “She’s doing well. Says she’s thinking about you.”  
    Hux turned to Kylo, “Margo is our younger step sibling. She’s in school right now, in Colorado, so you won’t get to meet her.”  
    Kylo nodded, “There are two others aren’t there?”  
    “Three. But the first ones a bitch so we don’t talk to her.” Hux smirked as Egan rolled his eyes.  
    “Ooh can’t wait.” Kylo chuckled.  
    “I’d say I can’t wait to see Dad’s face when he meets Kylo, but that would mean I’d be in the room and . . .” Egan sighed, “I’m not taking that bullet for you, buddy.”  
    Hux laughed, “He does tend to swing at anything with red hair when he’s angry. Alright, I’ll see you back home later tonight.” Egan nodded and clapped Kylo on the shoulder’s before getting up and walking away from the table.  
    “So.” Kylo turned to face Hux.  
    “So.” Hux sighed, “I guess it’s time you meet my family.”  
    “Can’t be worse than jail.”  
    Hux pulled a face, “Don’t take Jail off the table so quickly.”  
    While it took a minute, they finally got in touch with the car that had driven them from Egan’s house earlier that morning. Thannison had told him that he could use it if he wanted to see his siblings before the trial, Hux just hadn’t figured he’d actually use it. However, it seemed that in avoiding his father he’d threatened the relationship he had with his younger siblings. They knew why he was did the things he did, they struggled with how to handle their own parental negligence, but that didn’t meant that they didn’t miss his absence. It wasn’t much, but spending the little time left with them and Kylo was really all he could give to the people he loved. Hux felt a desperate need to show them that he cared before he wasn’t able to.  
    Hux  and Kylo sat in the back, forgoing conversation for risk of being overheard. It wasn’t like Hux particularly cared anymore about most things, considering his impending sentencing, but he knew that Kylo would feel uncomfortable so he kept quiet. When they finally pulled up to the familiar house, he was loathe to even move from his seat but Kylo’s hand was warm and insistent.  
    “Before we go in,” Hux stated, walking along Kylo towards the front door, “Just know that nothing any of them say is the truth.”  
    “What are they going to say?” Kylo asked in concern.  
    “I don’t know but it won’t be the truth.” Hux furrowed his eyes in thought. “They don’t know me like you do.”  
    “ . . small miracles.” Kylo muttered as Hux rung the doorbell.  
    There was the sound of running feet and a hurried, “One minute!” That Hux knew belonged to his youngest sister. When Carlin opened the door, she squealed and ran forward to wrap her arms around her Hux. “You’re back!”  
    Hux laughed as he hugged her. “I told you I would be. It’s not like I can ignore a court summons.”  
    Carlin pulled away and slapped him on the shoulder, “That’s not funny.” Then she spotted Kylo and it was all over. “Oh my God, is this him? Your super hot boyfriend!”  
    “You called me ‘super hot’?” Kylo questioned.  
    “No.” Hux’s cheeks were beginning to turn red. “Carlin, stop screaming. It’s just-“  
    “Keenan! Get down here!”  
    “Oh my God.” Hux groaned as he and Kylo were pulled into the house.  
    “Why are you screaming at me?” Keenan rubbed a closed fist into his eye as he came down the front stairs and joined the group in the living room. “Oh, Armie, you’re back.” He smiled and then spotted Kylo, “And you’ve brought company.” Keenan seemed to get the point a little slower than his sister, but gasped nonetheless, “Ohhh is this the-“ He pointed excitedly at Kylo while meeting his sister’s eyes.  
    “Yep!”  
    Keenan stepped forward, “Does Armie let you hold his hand in public?”  
    Kylo laughed, “Nope, but I do anyway.” He added with a mischievous smirk.  
    Carlin joined them in laughter, “He hates PDA.”  
    “I know.” Kylo agreed wrapping an arm around Hux’s shoulder. “He also hates my nicknames for him.”  
    “If we’re done.” Hux interrupted. “I wanted to know if you guys had plans this evening.”  
    “Can I hear about these nicknames?” Carlin asked, mischievous eyes glued on Kylo.  
    “Dinner maybe?” Hux tried again to grab their attention.  
    “Do you surf? Hux says you surf. I’ve never surfed before.” Keenan talked without even waiting for Kylo to answer.  
    Hux sighed, “You can ask Kylo all of your embarrassing questions over dinner. Let’s go.” Hux gestured towards the door and urged his siblings to listen.  
    “Can we get pizza?” Keenan asked.  
    “Can I drive?” Carlin asked as she grabbed her sweatshirt off the back of the couch and walked through the door.  
    “No.” Hux answered.  
    “To which one?” Carlin asked again, pausing on the sidewalk.  
    “Either. Both. I don’t know, just get in the car.” Hux answered as he grabbed keys to the only car in the driveway. “Why do you want pizza? You eat pizza all the time.”  
    “Because it’s the best.” Keenan defended.  
    “Fine, I’ll settle for Italian.” Hux rolled his eyes at his brother’s responding cheer. “But only because I haven’t had it in a while.” Hux replied quickly. When he met Kylo’s eyes, he was laughing. “Shut up.” He muttered to the other man.  
    Kylo raised his hands and shrugged, “I didn’t say anything.” But the laughter didn’t leave his face as he reached over to grab one of Hux’s hands.   
    “You’re enjoying this.” Hux told him with a slight glare, but he didn’t pull his hand back.  
    “Of course I am.” Kylo chuckled. Hux didn’t bother responding.   
    The nearest Italian place was a family owned restaurant that Hux had never been to but Keenan and Carlin said was good. He didn’t care either way to be honest, Hux just wanted to spend some time with his siblings before he wasn’t able to. This side of possibly going to jail, Hux was regretting not getting to know them better when he lived with them.  
    “How about we just get both?” Kylo’s laugh brought Hux back to the conversation at hand. “Seriously, it’s on me. Get whatever you want.”  
    “Kylo.” Hux grabbed his hand underneath the table. “That’s awfully sweet of you but-“  
    “‘But’ nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Kylo smiled at him again and gave his hand a slight squeeze. Hux didn’t quite know what to say so he didn’t say anything. He just tried to keep the smile off of his face knowing that his siblings would be all over him the moment they saw it. Today, he wouldn’t have minded though.  
————  
    “Are you ready?”  
    Hux stood in front of a mirror, suit and tie neatly in place, and considered his options. He could run now, but then he’d never see Kylo again. He could go through with this, but then we all knew the outcome to that. He sighed again and met Kylo’s eyes with his own. “I guess.”  
    “You’re going to be okay, Hux. I know you will be.”  
    “You have to say that.” Hux smiled at him sadly, “You’re my boyfriend.”  
    Kylo smiled but let out a low breath, “If you say so.”  
————  
    The courtroom was cold and unfeeling as Hux waited for his sentence. It had been a grueling process where all of his prior crimes and actions had been laid out in front of everyone, most importantly, Kylo. Hux sat with an embarrassed grimace on his face for most of it. But every now and then, he would turn and look back to find Kylo’s eyes and his soft smile, and Hux’s nerves would ease just a little bit. This was all shit, but if Kylo was still there on the other side, he would push through to him.  
    As the jury walked back in, his heart raced. It wasn’t that he was worried they would convict him, he knew that much already. But what they would sentence him with was a whole other story that Hux wasn’t exactly ready for. The events that happened next were mostly a blur of gavel pounding, and verdicts of “guilty” being repeated over and over again, but soon the judge announced he was going to read the sentence. Hux focused in and held his breath.  
    “Armitage Hux is sentenced to 3 months in a Day Incarceration Center as apart of the Alternative Sanction Program, and 6 months in an outpatient drug rehabilitation program.”  
    Hux’s body deflated as Thannison gripped his shoulder in a triumphant gesture. He should be happy he wasn’t going to jail, but all he could feel was relief that it was over, that he no longer had this cloud hanging over his life. More people clapped his back, but he couldn’t really focus until Kylo stepped into his filed of vision.  
    “Hux? Are you ok?”  
    “I’m not going to jail.” Hux answered slowly and quietly.  
    Kylo smiled and shook his head, “No gingersnap, you’re not. However you are going to like day jail, which is just as bad in my opinion.”  
    “You’re right.” Hux’s face fell. “I’ll have to stay in New York for at least 3 months.”  
    “3 months isn’t that bad. Then maybe the outpatient program can be at your old hospital. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea anyway.” Kylo answered as he guided a wobbling Hux towards the door. The courtroom’s occupants were being ushered out for the next case.  
    Thannison came up behind them with a bright smile. “Good news, Hux. I’ve done it again.” Kylo snorted and rolled his eyes. “You’ve got to stay in New York for the next three months but then you’re free to take the outpatient program at any accredited facility.”  
    Kylo smiled and laid a hand on Hux’s back. “So he can come back to Cali after 3 months?”  
    “Sure.” Thannison answered, already looking down at her phone. “Tell your parents I said hi.” And with that she turned and walked away.  
    “Mr.Hux.” An armed officer approached them, “Whenever you’re ready we’ll go over the details of your sentence.”  
    Hux turned to Kylo, reaching out an arm to him. “I’ll see you later. Wait for me?”  
    “Always.” Kylo answered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for Reading.


End file.
